


A Twisted Situation

by CrimzieLightwood



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-08-01 18:52:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 29,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16289903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimzieLightwood/pseuds/CrimzieLightwood
Summary: Sophie and Gabriel become friends and more ensues. Are they made for each other or not?





	1. No Breakfast

Ding. Ding. "Breakfast is ready! Get it before Henry eats it all!" Charlotte shouted towards the ceiling. She put on the oven mitts and pulled out the biscuits from the oven. She laid them out on a plate and walked to the dinner table, placing them next to the chocolate chip pancakes.

"Looks great, Lottie," Henry said, pulling his wife onto his lap. Charlotte reached up to put her hands on the sides of his head. Despite being on his lap, she was still short. She placed a small kiss on his lips, before saying, "Thanks dear. Oh! Forgot the juice!" Charlotte ran back to the kitchen and pulled out the juice from the fridge. Just then, two boys came down the stairs.

"Look, Jem, it wasn't my fault!" said the boy with black hair.

Jem took a chair two seats away from Henry. "Will, you punched him in the face! How is that not your fault?" Jem asked, reaching for a pancake.

"He started it! I was just-" Will cut off, tilting his head back and groaning, rubbing his neck. "Forget it," He took the seat between Henry and Jem, and started for the pancakes. He grabbed one, then two, then three, then four-

"William, save some for everyone else," Charlotte said, taking a seat across from Will next to Henry. Two voices could be heard from upstairs, then the footsteps against the stairs.

"Cece, if you want to be noticed, then try flirting,"

"Flirt?! I can't flirt!"

Two more people came out from the staircase, and walked straight to the table.

"Whoa, whoa, nobody is doing any flirting, especially you," Will declared, pointing a finger at Cecily. "Are you trying to make my sister a whore, Jessie?"

"Will, shut up. It's not as if I suggested she throw herself at him," Jessamine said, taking a seat next to Charlotte. When she saw the breakfast, her face scrunched up in disgust. "Chocolate chip pancakes? Is there anything else?" she asked.

"Biscuits or nothing," Charlotte stated.

"Wait a minute, who is this 'him' you two are talking about? You better not be liking anyone, Cece," Will said, eyes glaring at his sister.

"No one," she mumbled, grabbing a pancake and two biscuits from the center.

"It's just in case she meets someone, Will. Right, Cece?" Jessie cut in, hoping to help pass the subject.

"Right. So no need to worry, Will, you're still the number one guy in my life," Cecily said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Jem and Henry whined.

"You too, guys," Cecily said with a fake smile and a sigh.

Just then, another set of footsteps came down the stairs.

"Alright guys, I'll see you at school. Later," Sophie declared, coming out of the staircase.

"Hey, wait, where do you think you're going?! You haven't eaten breakfast yet!" Charlotte said, turning in her chair to get a better look at Sophie.

"Oh, Thomas and I are gonna study before we get to school, we have a test today and it's kinda important," Sophie said, pulling her backpack on her shoulders. Thomas was her best friend since third grade, and they always went everywhere together.

"Well, you have to eat, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Charlotte exclaimed, hoping to get Sophie to sit down and have one normal family meal. She turned to Henry, hoping he could get her to stay. "Henry!"

Henry looked up at her, and after a moment, finally got what she was not-so-stealthily pointing to.

"Sophie dear, you need to eat. You'll have a better time concentrating on your test and your school work," Henry told her, his eyes soft and begging, like a dog waiting on someone to throw a ball.

"Don't worry, we're gonna stop by somewhere and grab something to eat. Thanks though," Sophie said, already walking towards the foyer.

"SOPHIE! WAIT! TAKE ME WITH YOU!" Will screamed, getting up from the table and running towards her.

"No, Will, stay! Like the good boy you are!" Sophie joked, patting his head for effect.

Will whimpered and said in a baby voice, "Pwease let me go with you?"

Sophie crossed her arms, rolling her head and shoulders. "Fine! Go get your stuff, hurry up! Thomas will be here any minute," Sophie sighed impatiently.

Then, almost in synchronization, Jem, Cecily, and Jessie all began to rise from the table.

"Wait, I made this breakfast for all of you! Someone better stay here and enjoy it!" Charlotte said angrily, her face slightly red.

"Not it," both Jem and Cecily said.

"What? Wait-"

"Sit, Jessie," Charlotte said.

Just then, Will came down with both his and Jem's stuff. "I just went ahead and grabbed your stuff for you, James. Oh, are you two coming along also? Splendid!" Will exclaimed, clapping his hands like a kid about to open another present on his birthday.

"Alright, let's go," Sophie said, rushing them past the kitchen into the foyer. "Sorry Charlotte, maybe next time. See you at school!" Sophie said, grabbing the door open and holding it for the rest. Cecily grabbed her bag of the hooks, and then Sophie, being the last, shut the door, and they were all gone.

"Jerks," Jessamine mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms above her chests.

Henry, having finally looked up from reading the newspaper, asked, "Where did everyone go?"

Charlotte put her head into her hands and said something that sounded like "duck it."


	2. New Crush

Thomas drummed his fingers against the steering wheel nervously. He checked the mirrors every five minutes just to have something to distract him from the awkwardness.

 

"Sorry about them. Will wanted to come, and I knew you were waiting, so I didn't have time to argue. Then Cece and Jem decided to tag along," Sophie said, pulling her legs up to sit crisscross. Out of everyone she knew, she was the only one who did this, and everyone told her she was weird for it. It was just more comfortable.

 

"No, no, it's fine. The more, the merrier, right?" Thomas answered, turning his head and flashing his pearly whites at Sophie. She smiled back, and looked ahead of the car.

 

"So, how have you guys been?", Thomas asked, looking at the rear view mirror to get a better look at Jem, Cece, and Will. "Anything new?"

 

"No, not really," Jem said, not even giving him a glance.

 

"Will?"

 

"Got a new girlfriend," he replied, looking very pleased with himself.

 

"That's not new," Thomas said, looking back at the road. Sophie let out a small giggle, and he silently high-fived himself for it. It was true though. Will has had many girlfriends. He always dumps them, and then finds some other poor girl to string along. Thomas had stopped learning the names of each, since they never last long anyways. And he doubted this one would.

 

"Actually, I think this one is it," Will said smugly, smiling to himself a bit.

 

"It? Like, you think this girl could be 'the One'?" Thomas laughed.

 

"Yes, that's correct."

 

Thomas laughed, and looked back at Will through the rear view mirror. "Oh-oh, shi- you're serious! Oh, wow!" he let out a small chuckle, surprise masking his face. "Really? Good for you, buddy!"

 

"Yeah, right. I bet they break up next week," Cecily piped up, looking at Jem and Sophie expectantly.

 

"Uhh.. I'm giving them three days," Jem said, after careful consideration. "Wait, no, four. Four days, just in case."

 

"Okay, Sophie?"

 

"Hmm? What- yes?" Sophie asked, clearly not paying attention.

 

"How long do you think Will and his new girlfriend will last?"

 

"I can't believe you guys are betting against me and my girlfriend! Do you guys do this every time?!" Will said, obviously irritated.

 

"Calm down, Will. Yes, we do bet against your relationships. Y'know why? Because its no fun for us. We can't become friends with any of your temporary girlfriends since you dump them and then they hate us and won't talk to us. So, we decided to start putting bets against you and your pathetic relationships, and so that way we have fun and we win money," Cecily shot back, glaring at Will.

 

"Why do you guys need to have fun in my relationships?"

 

No one answered. He was right. Why did they need to have fun in his relationships? Were they that lonely? Or was it something else? Was it because they wanted to somehow be involved more in Will's life? They were his siblings, of course they were involved. But Will just didn't give them enough. Sure, he talked to them, but never nice. Never once was he wanting to hang out with them, just because they were family. He was such a distant person, yet, somehow, he was still right there.

 

"Fine. We won't do it anymore, let's just forget it, okay?" Sophie pleaded, crossing her arms and looking out the window.

 

Just then, they pulled into a small cafe called "Java's Circle." It was Sophie's favorite place. They had great coffee, amazing food, awesome music, and hot waiters.

 

They all got out of the jeep, and walked into the cafe. Sophie and Thomas immediately went to their spot. It was a little booth in the corner on the left side, in the the front. It was the perfect spot. They were by the windows, so there was plenty of light, they were in the back, so they could watch people come in and out, and no one ever sat there.

 

"What do you want?" Thomas asked Sophie, already pulling money out of his wallet.

 

"Bagel, please," Sophie answered, pulling money out of her pocket and handing it to Thomas. Most days Thomas pays for her, but she didn't want to depend on that, so occasionally she paid for herself.

 

"You got it, sweetheart," Thomas joked, winking at her, and walking to the other side to order.

 

All of a sudden, Jem, Cecily, and Will's head popped out of the booth in front of them. Sophie gave a little gasp, and her hand flew to her chest.

 

"Guys! What the hell?!" Sophie whisper-screamed.

 

"He likes you," Jem observed.

 

"Well he should, I'm his best friend. Otherwise, we'd have some problems,"

 

"No, Soph, he-", Will broke off and sighed. He got out of his booth and slid around into hers. "He like-likes you."

 

Sophie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? That's ridiculous!" she laughed.

 

Jem and Cecily looked at each other, before Cecily said, "How could you not see that? Are you blind or something?!"

 

"Okay, whatever you guys are smoking, you need to lay off, cuz this is getting ridiculous. Look, he's coming back, go back to your own booth, and eat,"

 

Will got up and went back to his own seat in his own booth.

 

Thomas liked her? What a lie! He couldn't have. They were just best friends. They probably just misjudged their close friendship for something else. Besides, how could he like her? With the scar running down the side of her face. Sophie didn't hate the scar. She thought it would help her. It wouldn't send guys running to her, it wouldn't make it easy for her to find someone who truly loved her. In some ways, she was happy with it. It was a part of her. Nothing could change that.

 

"One bagel," Thomas chirped happily, sliding back into his seat with a waffle in front of him.

 

"Thanks. Now do you have the notes for..."  


 

* * *

 

 

"Cereal? You're eating cereal?", Will asked, his eyes glaring at his sister.

 

"Ahem. Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?" Cecily shot back, her eyes playing the same game as Will's.

 

"Guys, stop. You're giving me a headache, and you keep talking with food in your mouth. Stop it, it's gross," Jem complained, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. Will and Cecily both mocked Jem by opening their mouths wide. "Seriously?"

 

Cecily and Will laughed and high-fived each other, both proud of themselves over something small and stupid.

 

"Herondales," Jem muttered.

 

"Crap! We gotta go, guys. We're gonna be late for school," Thomas said, passing by them with his and Sophie's leftovers.

 

Everyone threw out what was left of their breakfast and left the cafe. They all got in the jeep and were on their merry, little way to their school, St. Jonathan's.


	3. What a Jerk

_"Psst._ Jem,"

Will looked up at the teacher to make sure he didn't hear him. He threw a balled up piece of paper and Jem, and leaned in.

"JAMES," Will whispered.

"What?!" Jem answered quietly, looking deathly at Will and gripping his pencil to stab him if it was needed.

"What's the answer for number 18?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Jem-"

"No! You should've studied, like everyone else,"

"I would've, but I just simply didn't have the time,"

Jem gave Will a questioning glare, as if he didn't believe him. After what seemed forever, Will finally gave in.

"Fine, I tried, but it was just so boring! And there was so many words, I fell asl-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Jem said, turning back to his own paper. They were nearly to the end of class. They were in Biology, taking a test on the human brain. Mr. Starkweather walked up and down the aisles and checked on everyone, before arriving to his own desk.

Will looked up at the clock, and there was only five minutes of class left. He looked down at his paper. He had only seven questions left, and he didn't know the answer to any.

"Three more minutes," Mr. Starkweather announced.

"Crap," Will muttered. He quickly filled in random bubbles, and stood up, walking to Mr. Starkweather and placing his test on his desk.

"Thank you, William, you may sit down now," Mr. Starkweather said, scowling at Will.

* * *

 

"What was that?!" Will asked, leaving the classroom with Jem behind him. "You betrayed me. I feel so hurt,"

"Stop being dramatic, dear William. It's not as if I pushed you off a building," Jem said, arranging his books in sizes.

"No, you wouldn't do that. You'd be the one on the ground yelling 'DO A FLIP!'", Will said, walking towards his locker.

"No, that'd be Sophie," Jem smirked.

"True," Will agreed. "Oh, James! You have to meet my girlfriend!"

"Oh, you mean, 'the One?'" Jem joked, using his fingers to do air quotes around "the one."

"Shut up," Will ordered, looking down to hide his blushing.

They walked up to Will's locker, and there was a girl waiting there, looking around to find a certain face. When she saw Will, she relaxed and leaned against his locker.

"Hey, sweetheart," Will said, wrapping his arms around the girl and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Hey ,Will," the girl replied, reaching her arms around his torso.

"Tessa, this is Jem, my brother, and also my best friend, and Jem, this is Tessa, my girlfriend,"

Jem reached his hand out and shook Tessa's. He took a look at her. She had wavy, brown hair that went above the middle of her back, she was wearing jeans, and a simple, gray t-shirt, that complimented her remarkable gray eyes.

"Jem?" Tessa asked, her eyebrows drawn together. "That's an unusual name,"

"It's a nickname. My names is James," he told her, sliding his hand back into his pocket.

"I picked it," Will giggled, smiling like a kid.

"So, Tessa? I've seen you around here. Aren't you, uhh, Mr. Starkweather's granddaughter?" Jem asked.

"Yeah," Tessa responded, pulling Will's arms around her waist and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry," Jem confessed.

Tessa let out a small laugh, and just nodded her thanks.

"I wonder what's for lunch," Will blurted out. "I'm starving."

* * *

Sophie reached for her sketch book in her locker, and replaced it with her history and English books. She shut her locker and turned around, and then started to walk to the cafeteria, only to run into someone. It was a guy.

"Watch where you're going, idiot," the guy said.

She looked up slowly to see a guy with brown hair, and green eyes. His eyes were an alarming shade of green, and they were looking at her as if she was reason for everything bad. He was wearing dark jeans,and a white shirt, with a red, black and gray plaid shirt over it. He had a ring on, and she managed to catch a glimpse of a symbol on it; it was a flame.

The guy just ignored her and pushed her to walk past.

"Excuse me? You're the one who ran into _me_ ," Sophie growled, crossing her arms and moving to stand behind him.

"What did you say to me?"the guy demanded, turning around slowly to stand in front of her. He was towering over her, and Sophie was looking up at him, not even worried. "Do you know who I am?"

"Uhh, an obnoxious jerk?"

His face changed from menacing to a look of surprise. "What did you just say?" he asked, his face grow more red by the second.

"Oh, did you not hear me? Probably because of all that air in your head," Sophie replied calmly, her looks like daggers into his.

"At least I don't look like that. What happened, is your inner beast finally showing?" the guy shot back. Sophie looked down at her feet embarrassed, avoiding his gaze and suddenly wishing she hadn't said anything.

"That's what I thought. What's your name anyways?" the guy asked, backing up to get a full look at her.

"Sophie," she said, looking up to meet his cold, glaring eyes. "How about you?"

The guy let out a loud laugh. "You're serious? You don't know who I am?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you, would I?"

The guy stopped laughing and stood up more straight. "Gabriel," the guy said. "Gabriel Lightwood."

* * *

 

"Ugh, I swear, this guy was such a jerk, he bumped into me and expected _me_ to apologize, and then he had the nerve to comment on my scar, which maybe I deserve because I was making remarks to him but only because he was a jerk, but still to put it _that_ way, it's awful, and-" Sophie was rambling about her run in with Gabriel to Thomas, who currently looked like he was dying inside.

"Sophie," Thomas interrupted. "I need to tell you something,"

Sophie moved to her bed and took his hands into hers. "Of course, what is it?"

Thomas looked at her with soft eyes, and Sophie noticed there were tears in them. "Sophie..." Thomas trailed, his voice cracking, and his eyes trailing down to their hands.

Sophie shifted in her bed. "Thomas, what is it? You're scaring me..." Sophie whispered.

"I just found out that..."

"Found out what?" she said, moving his head, forcing him to look at her.

"I'm moving to America."

 


	4. A Secret Told

"I just found out that Taylor's sister is pregnant with triplets! I can't imagine having triplets. That means being pregnant for 27 months!" Jessamine said, picking carrots out of her peas.

Everybody just stopped eating, and stared at Jessie.

"It seems the fume from all that perfume you wear finally did a number on that tiny brain of yours," Cecily said, cutting her chicken and eating a piece.

"Now, Cecily, stop," Charlotte said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "How was everyone's day?"

"Great,"

"Fabulous," Jessie said.

"BOOORING. Oh, but Jem met my girlfriend! Tell them, Jem!", Will said, jabbing his elbow into Jem's side.

"Ow! Yeah, I did. She was really nice," Jem stated, rubbing where Will nudge him.

"Oh, you have a new girlfriend? How..." Charlotte rubbed her fingers, searching for a word. "Nice."

"He's actually serious about this one too,"

"Oh really? Oh Will, I'm so proud of you! You're finally slowing down, and giving a girl a chance,"

"Proud? Of me? That's a first," Will said, stretching his arms out behind his chair.

"No it is not! I'm proud of you all the time, Will,"

"Tell her about how you tried to cheat on your test this morning," Jem said before taking a sip from his glass.

"What?! William!"

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't actually cheat," Will confessed.

"No, because I refused to give you the answers," Jem told Will, who in turn stuck his tongue out at him.

"Seriously boys..." Charlotte let out a defeated sigh and look down at her plate. "How about you, Sophie? I know you had a test today, how did that go?"

Silence. Charlotte looked up at Sophie. "Sophie?"

Sophie was picking at her food, seeming lost in her own thoughts.

"Sophie!"

Sophie looked up to see everyone looking at her expectantly, save for Henry who was making a snowman out of his mashed potatoes.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Charlotte asked, eyebrows drawn up in worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Its just, I found out that..." Sophie drifted off, and shook her head, then nodded, as if trying to convince herself of something. "I'm fine."

"What'd you find out? Are you pregnant?" Jessie snapped, crossing her arms against her chest and smirking.

"Jessie!" Charlotte exclaimed, horrified. "You're... you're not, are you, Sophie dear?"

"What? No, NO! No, of course not. I just found out that Thomas is... moving," Sophie whispered, pulling her sleeves down.

"Oh! Well that's not bad," Henry blurted, seemingly out of his own world. "To where? A new house?"

"Yeah... in America,"

No one said anything. The only sound to be heard was the ceiling fan in the living room and the faint thrum of a car driving by.

"I'm sorry, Soph," Cecily said reaching out to hold her hand.

Sophie suddenly pulled away and stood up quickly. "I'm fine. I'm gonna go see him. You don't mind, right Charlotte?"

Charlotte look up at Sophie and hesitated. "Well-"

"Please?"

Charlotte let out a long sigh. "Okay. But be careful! And come back before 11,"

"Okay," Sophie promised, walking to the foyer and grabbing her jacket of a hook and slipping some slippers on. She didn't cared how to looked at that moment. She grabbed the door handle, and she was off.

* * *

Sophie reached up and knocked on the wooden door three times. She waited for a minute or two, before the door opened, and a man was in front of her.

"Hey, Mr. Tanner. How are you?", Sophie asked, walking in past him.

"Sophie, hello. I'm fine, thank you. I'm sorry about this, the whole moving thing. It's just I got a promotion and its better pay and we kind of need the money and-"

"It's okay. I understand, you have to do what's best for your family,"

"Thank you,"

Sophie just smiled and headed to the stairs. Cyril was walking down and when he saw her, he reached out and rubbed her head, messing up her hair, just as he has always done. "Hey, Soph."

Sophie let out a small laugh, and shoved his hand away, then gave him a little punch on his arm. "Hey, is Thomas here?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs pouting like a baby. He's shutting everyone out, and locking himself in his room,"

"Thanks, Cyril," Sophie said, reaching out to hold his hand and giving it a little squeeze. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Princess Blueberry," Cyril said, bowing and laying a light kiss on the top of her hand.

Sophie laughed at the name. When they were little, they would all play Royals, and she was a princess and her name had been Princess Blueberry. She chose it because at that moment, blueberries were her favorite thing to eat.

Sophie walked up the rest of the stairs, and went down two hallways, until she got to Thomas' door. She stopped in front of it, and let out a deep breath. She reached up and knocked on the door.

"Go away, I don't want to talk to whoever you are,"

Sophie opened the door and popped her head in. "Not even me?"

Thomas was laying on his bed, watching T.V. When he saw Sophie, he shot up, and turned the T.V off. "Sophie! Hey, sorry. I thought you were someone else,"

"It's okay," Sophie shut the door and walked over to sit next to Thomas.

They both just sat there, looking everywhere, except at each other.

"So... When are you leaving?" Sophie asked, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"Tomorrow,"

"Tomorrow?! What? Why so soon? What about your stuff?"

"Well, we have to be there in two days to get the house, so we're just gonna pack the things we really need. Clothes and stuff. Then my uncle's gonna come here and pack the rest for us and ship it there. Cyril might stay to help him," Thomas sighed. 

"Why don't you stay and help instead?"

"He's the oldest so...."

Sophie looked up at the wall in front of them, laughing when she saw a picture of them on Halloween when they were eight. Thomas had his arm over Sophie, and she was licking the side of his face. They were dressed up as peanut butter and jelly, Sophie being jelly, because she hates peanut butter.

She got up and walked to the wall, and reached out to stroke the picture. She turned around to see Thomas standing right behind her, his hands in his pockets

She walked up to him and reached out to grab his arms. "I'm gonna miss you," she whispered.

Thomas looked into her eyes, and he looked like he had something to say. "Sophie. I have to tell you something, and I've been holding it in forever, and I just can't take it anymore,"

"Of course, you can tell me anything," She knew what he was going to say. He was going to confess he loves her.

"In ninth grade, I had began getting feelings, and I didn't understand them and I was confused,"

_Any second now._

"But now that I'm older, more educated on it, I feel like I should tell you the truth,"

_He's going to confess!_

"I'm gay,"

"I love you too!" Sophie exclaimed. _What did he just say?_ Her eyes widened and her smile disappeared when she realized what he had said. _What? Gay?! He's GAY?!_

"What- what did you say?" Thomas asked.

"I.. I uhh. I said, I always knew," Sophie blurted, suddenly wishing she could jump in front of a train.

"You did? Oh, Sophie, you have no idea how happy that makes me! I was afraid you would hate me, or something," Thomas said happily, grabbing Sophie by the shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

"I could never hate you," Sophie said, holding tightly onto him. "Quite the opposite, actually."


	5. Why

Cecily stood at her locker leaning against it, talking to some boy in front of her. She smiled repeatedly every time he talked, and frankly, it was quite annoying. The boy has dark brown-reddish hair, and light hazel eyes. He was wearing khakis, and a yellow polo shirt. He had a stack of books in one hand, and his other in his pocket. He was looking longingly at Cecily, and blushing at her smiles.

"Look at them, they look ridiculous!" Will sneered from his own locker not too far.

"Will, leave them alone," Jem commanded.

"Yeah, it's not like they're doing anything bad! They're just talking," Tessa said.

"Well, not _now,_ but sooner or later, something could happen!"

"Oh, really? Please, explain, Will," Jem said sarcastically.

"Well, first he'd ask her on a date, right? Then she'd say yes, and they would go on the date. Now, after that, they start to go on more dates, and they become closer. And then the closer they get, the more they feel that they have to _be_ _closer_ , so they decide to have-"

"Will. Come on, give the girl a little credit. You trust her, don't you?" Tessa asked.

"I trust her. It's _him_ I don't trust. And because they're so young, they don't know how to protect themselves, so she could end up pregnant," Will muttered, his eyes widening in horror.

"And then her life would be a mess and her life would have to be on hold," Will added. "I mean, if you think about it, I'd be protecting her from that."

"Seriously?" Jem inquired. "That's just a bunch of bull-"

"Gotta go," Will interrupted. He pushed off his locker and headed off to Cecily.

"Hey Cece," Will beamed, hugging his sister from behind.

Cecily unwrapped his arms from her, slightly embarrassed.

"Hey, Will," Cecily said. "Uhh, Brian, this is my brother, Will. Will, this is my friend, Brian."

"Brian? That sounds like a gay name. Are you gay?" Will inquired rudely, stepping forward to stand next to Cecily.

"Will!"

"Um, no. I'm straight," Brian stated.

"Oh, are you sure? My friend, Magnus didn't know he was bi until he was at least-"

"Will, shut up!" Cecily hissed, stamping her foot on his.

"Ow! Fine, fine!" Will mumbled, moving behind Cecily to lean on a locker.

"So, Cecily, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out tonight? With me?" Brian asked, nervously.

Cecily raised her hand to pull a piece of hair behind her ear. "Sure," she giggled, blushing.

"Great! So where are we going?" Will interrupted, his head popping up above Cecily's.

"We?" Brian asked.

"Well, yeah. If you date Cecily, you date me. We're a package deal," Will exclaimed, putting his arm around Cecily.

"Will, if you don't stop, you'll find yourself trapped in a room with hungry ducks."

Will gasped dramatically, his hand flying to his chest. "You wouldn't,"

"Will, can I please talk to you?" Cecily demanded, pulling him by his ear after her.

"Ow! What?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm protecting you,"

"From what?"

"From having a kid that changes your life, causing you to never live out your life dreams!"

"What?" Cecily asked, confused.

"Just trust me."

"Just trust _me."_

"Fine," Will said, gloomy. His eyes lifted to look above her head, and his lips broke out into a huge smile. "Besides, my work is done."

He poked Cecily lightly on the nose, and turned around, walking til' he turned a corner.

Cecily took a deep breath, and turned around back to Brian.

_Wait, where did he go?_

She looked around, but didn't find him.

_Ugh! Will, I'm going to kill you!_

* * *

"Alright kids, we're gonna be starting a project," Mr. Starkweather announced, walking around his desk, and leaning on the front. "Now, for this project, you will be needing a partner, and we are going to be joining up with Mr. Branwell, from Tech. I have each student from his class' name in this bucket, and I'm gonna go around, and you're going to draw one. Whoever you pick will be your partner," Mr. Starkweather added, grabbing a bucket off his desk and walking up to the desk in the front on the right side. After they drew their partners, he made his way to the front desk on the left side.

The girl next to Sophie quietly groaned when she read her paper. Mr. Starkweather came to Sophie next.

"Sophie," Mr. Starkweather called.

Sophie looked up from her notebook, where she was drawing an image of the moon and its reflection from a puddle in the street. "Uh, actually, I prefer to work alone," Sophie insisted, returning to her drawing.

"Ms. Collins, I know you like to work alone, but this time, you need a partner. It's essential."

Sophie groaned, and reached into the bucket and chose a random piece of paper.

Mr. Starkweather moved around the desk to the one behind her, and Sophie went back to her drawing.

"Hey," the girl next to Sophie spoke. "Do you mind switching?"

"What?" Sophie asked, looking up from her drawing. It was Taylor, one of Jessamine's pretentious "besties."

"Can we trade, please? I've gone out with this guy, and we broke up, and left on terrible terms, and I just can't even look at him," Taylor whined. "Please?"

"Oh, well since you put it like that..." Sophie let on. "No."

"Please? I'll tell everyone that you're actually cool. You'll be popular!"

"Mmm, no thanks,"

" _Ugh!"_ Taylor scoffed, crossing her arms. "Fine, I know about your boyfriend, Thomas, and how he moved. If you don't do this, I'll tell everyone that he left because of you."

"He's not my boyfriend, and he didn't leave because of me!"

"Sure, but they don't know that,"

"Fine, whatever!" Sophie slammed her paper in front of Taylor, and took Taylor's out of her hands.

"Who'd you get anyways?" Taylor asked, opening the paper. "George Penhallow. Hm. Haven't gone out with him before."

"Slut," Sophie muttered.

"Alright guys, does everyone have a partner? Okay, let's go, we're going to the gym," Mr. Starkweather boomed.

Everyone got up, and headed out the door. They followed Mr. Starkweather to the gym, where Mr. Branwell, and his students were.

"Henry," Mr. Starkweather called. "Are you ready?"

"Aloysius, yes, hi," Henry rambled, reaching out and shaking Mr. Starkweather's hand.

"Alright kids, if you see your partner, go sit next to them," Mr. Starkweather blared.

Everyone scrambled to the wooden seats to sit next to their partners.

Sophie walked up, and Henry saw her and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, sweetheart," Henry said, giving her a light kiss on the top of her head.

Sophie gently pushed him away. "You said you weren't going to do that anymore!" Sophie exclaimed, blushing from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Henry laughed. "Who's your partner?"

"Uhh I don't know," Sophie checked her front pockets, then her back. She pulled it out of her right back pocket, and opened it. "Someone named Gabriel Lightwood." _Gabriel Lightwood, why does that name sound so familiar?_

"Oh, he's over there," Henry stated, pointing out a boy on the left side in a far bench.

Sophie walked up to the boy. "So, looks like you're my partner,"

The boy looked up, and when she saw those green eyes, the memory of him came rushing back.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. What, did they run out of hot girls to pair up or something?"

"Shut up," Sophie ordered, sliding in the benches to sit next to him. Gabriel didn't say anything, except watch her as she sat down, and got her stuff ready.

"What?" Sophie snapped, feeling his gaze on her.

"Nothing, nothing," Gabriel replied, looking back down at his own paper.

"Okay, everyone has their partners,", Mr. Starkweather blurted. Now, you are going to be working with this partner for the next two months, so become friends, or at least try not to kill each other. Now the project is..."

Sophie looked over to Gabriel, who was completely ignoring Mr. Starkweather and on his phone.

_This is going to be a long project._

 


	6. Major Jerk

"So, how do you wanna do this?" Gabriel asked. They were just leaving the gym, and Gabriel was following after Sophie, who was headed off to her locker. "We can work on the project everyday and be done with it early, or we can work on it every couple days so we have breaks and a fresh mind each time we get back to it."

"Uhm..." Sophie replied, her face masked in confusion and shock. She hadn't expected him to be so prepared for this. She thought he was the type of guy to flirt his way and make the other person do all the work.

"Also, do you wanna do it at your place or mine? It doesn't have to be either. We can just work on it here after school, or meet up somewhere, like the park or whatever,"

"I don't know. How about we meet up after school, today, and figure it all out? Are you free?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Okey-dokie. I'll meet you by the steps up front after school. Don't be late,"

"Okey-dokie," he mocked. He looked down at her and gave a little smirk. Sophie quickly gave him a teasing slap on his bicep, which was rock hard. She looked down, blushing, mentally hitting herself for thinking such a thing.

Gabriel stopped at a locker and opened it to replace his notebook for a Math book. It was his last class for the day. Meanwhile, Sophie was still walking away from him, when she a sudden realization. She slowly turned around back to Gabriel and took a few tiny steps towards him.

"Wait. You have a car, right?" Sophie asked, her fingers pointing mindlessly at him.

"Nooo," Gabriel replied sarcastically. "I came here on a magic, flying pony named Sparkles, who runs on glitter and mermaid scales."

Sophie crossed her arms across her chest, clearly not in the mood.

"Yes, I have a car,"

"Good," Sophie exclaimed, a slight smile creeping up from his playful answer before. She turned around and headed off.

* * *

Sophie reached up to knock on the brown, wooden door in front of her. She knocked on the door while opening it, trying not to be rude.

"Charlotte?" she asked, opening the door all the way open to find Henry and Charlotte making out against the wall. Charlotte was pressed against the wall and had one hand on Henry's shoulder, the other on the side of his face. Henry had both hands in her hair, and was red from his chest to his ears.

"Whoa!" Sophie shouted, covering her eyes. Henry and Charlotte scrambled apart, both embarrassed by being caught. Charlotte cleared her throat before asking, "Yes, Sophie dear?"

"I'm never gonna sleep again," Sophie groaned, her face scrunched up in disgust. As much as she loved Henry and Charlotte, and their love for each other, she wished they didn't feel the need to rub it in everyone's faces, even though they never meant to.

"Oh hush. It's not like we were doing anything awful," Charlotte stated.

"Yeah, but you can't just make out in the middle of the school day in your _office,_ where anyone can just walk right in,"

"What do you need?" Charlotte asked, hoping to get pass it.

"I just wanted to tell you that I won't be at home after school,"

"Oh, why is that?"

"I have a project and I'm going to my partner's house to work on it,"

"Of course dear, but be back in time for dinner."

"Will do," Sophie promised, reaching up to her head with two fingers and swinging them like a soldier.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah, I'm sure he can just take me home,"

"What? He? He who-"

"Bye," Sophie left before she could finish her sentence and go into a full lecture about boys. Ever since her last boyfriend... Charlotte had been protective of her. It wasn't just Charlotte, it was everyone. Will, Jem, Cecily, even bloody Jessamine. She was thankful for it, but she knew not to trust every guy. She could take care of herself.

* * *

"Hey, sweetcheeks," Gabriel called out, lightly touching Sophie shoulder to get her attention. Sophie was sitting on the ledge by the stairs, drawing to pass the time by. "You ready?"

"Never call me that again," Sophie scolded, yanking her shoulder away from his hand and putting her sketchbook back in her bag. "Ever." She stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder, and walked away toward the parking lot. It was then she realized she didn't know what Gabriel's car looked like. She slowly turned around and sauntered back over to Gabriel, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

Gabriel crossed his arms and cleared his throat, a small smirk on his lips.

"I don't know where your car is,"

Gabriel let out a small chuckle, and headed off into the right side of the school parking lot. "Let's go,"

* * *

"Can I play music?" Sophie asked, already grabbing her phone out of her pocket.

"Yeah sure," Gabriel answered, reaching towards his radio and grabbing the AUX cord to hand to Sophie.

"Thanks," she said, plugging in her phone. She put on "Love me" by Elvis.

As soon as the song started to play, Gabriel started laughing.

"What?" Sophie asked. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just... I didn't expect this, especially from you. This used to be my mom's favorite song,"

"Used to be?"

"Yeah.. She died," Gabriel explained.

"Oh," Sophie whispered. She hadn't known that. "I'm sorry, I didn't kno-"

"Oh, no no, it's okay. I was little when it happened, so,"

Soon the song was over, and Sophie put on "All Out of Love" by Air Supply.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"What is with you and these old songs?" Gabriel laughed. "My grandmother would say you are an old soul."

"That's what my father used to say," Sophie half laugh, half whispered. She looked down at her hands, and began fumbling with her fingers.

"Used to? You lost a parent too?"

"Both actually, yeah,"

"Sorry,"

"It's okay. It's not your fault. Anyways, I only know this song because of Supernatural,"

"You like that show?"

"Like? I _love_ that show. It's honestly like, my entire life,"

"Are you kidding me? It's stupid. _Stupidnatural,"_ Gabriel laughed, looking smug and confident about his lame joke.

"I am this close," Sophie warned, putting her fingers about half an inch close to each other. "To ramming your head in the dashboard."

The song had ended, and Sophie left her phone alone.

"Whatever,"

"Have you even watched it before?"

"The whole show? No, no I've seen some episodes here and there, but it's only because of my brother. He watches it, like _all the time,"_ Gabriel whined, rolling his eyes.

"Well, until you've watched the whole show, you keep your opinions to yourself," Sophie suggested, crossing her arms. "Ooh! I have an idea!"

"That sounds great," Gabriel said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up. Okay, so what we do is I choose a show for you to watch, which in this case is Supernatural, and you choose a show for me. Deal?"

"Hmm... Any show?" Gabriel asked, his eyebrows raised and a mischievous grin on his face.

"Any appropriate show,"

"Hey, I've seen a _few_ episodes of Supernatural, and let me just tell you honey, they're not all innocent,"

"That's different. Whatever, we got a deal?

"Alright, deal,"

Sophie let out a small squeal. "I'm so excited. This is what my best friend and I used to do, except with bands,"

"What were her bands?"

"His. My best friend was a guy. He moved away, though,"

"Ah, wel-"

"Anyways, his bands were bands like Twenty-One Pilots, or Sleeping With Sirens, or Fall Out Boy, bands like that,"

"And what are your bands?"

"I only have one band, and I'm not telling you,"

"Why not?"

"Because you're just going to laugh at me,"

"No I won't, I promise," Gabriel said, popping his lower lip out and looking at Sophie with puppy-dog eyes. "Pweeaassee?"

Sophie let out a small laugh. "Fine. But you promised!" Sophie reminded him, sticking her finger out at him. "One Direction,"

Gabriel let out the loudest laugh she had ever heard from him. He had one hand on his chest, and his other on the steering wheel.

"Heeey! You said you wouldn't laugh!" Sophie whined.

"I'm sorry, but-" Gabriel stopped to laugh a bit more. "One Direction?! I hadn't expected that of you."

"Yeah, well I'm unpredictable,"

Gabriel finally pulled up in a driveway, parking to three other cars. Sophie got out of the car, and shut the door. When she looked up at the house, she was mesmerized. The house was beautiful. It was a big mansion, and it was a nice brown/beige color. There where plenty of windows, and many balconies. The lawn was also beautiful. They grass was greenest green she had ever seen, and there were roses nicely trimmed around the front porch.

"You coming?" Gabriel asked. He was standing by the front of his car, waiting for Sophie.

"Y-yeah," Sophie muttered.

* * *

The inside of the house was just as breath-taking as the outside. Everything was shiny, and nicely snugged in different places of the house. There was a small round table in the middle of the foyer, with a small vase of flowers, and also a small table on the side of the wall by the door, with a bowl of keys on it.

"I'm home!" Gabriel shouted, tossing his keys with the others in the bowl.

"Gabriel? Is that you?" a deep voice called from a room on the left. A broad man with slightly gray hair and dark eyes came into the foyer. He looked strict, and heavy with stress.

"Hey, dad," Gabriel spoke.

 _So this is his dad,_ Sophie thought.

"Who's this?" his father asked, when his eyes landed on Sophie. His face scrunched up in disgust and horror when she pulled her hair back to reveal her scar. She immediately pulled her hair back in front of her face.

"Oh, this is Sophie, she's my partner for a project," Gabriel introduced, reaching his hand around Sophie and putting it on her lower back. _Weird,_ Sophie thought. "Sophie, this is my dad, Benedict Lightwood."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. Your home is very lovely," Sophie pointed out, sticking her hand out to shake his.

Benedict just looked at her hand, and ignored it.

"Gabriel, you have football practice today at 6,"

"Dad, I've had practice for the last four days. Can't I just take a break?" Gabriel groaned.

"A break? You think we Lightwood men have gotten to where we are because we took breaks?" Benedict scolded. "No."

"What about Gideon? He went to Spain for a _year,_ "

"Gideon's different. He takes after your mother, he's weak and soft,"

"Thanks, dad! Love you too!" a voice shouted from what seemed to be the kitchen.

"Shut it, boy!" Benedict barked. "Gabriel, do not disappoint me,"

Benedict walked upstairs, his footsteps heavy.

Gabriel sighed and ran his hand down his face. "Sorry about that. You wanna get some snacks?"

"Sure, what do you got?"

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but looked to the ceiling when nothing came out. "I have no idea,"

Gabriel walked off onto the right side, and Sophie followed him. He led her to a big, bright kitchen, that look like it came straight out of a magazine. There was a nice, big counter, and a boy sitting there eating cereal. He had soft, blonde hair, and green eyes like Gabriel, except his were green, with gold flecks, while Gabriel's were green, with gray flecks. The boy bore a lot of similarities between him and Gabriel, but there were still small flaws detailing them. The boy was more broad then Gabriel, and he had a stronger bone structure. Gabriel was taller, but you could tell that the boy was older.

"Hey Gabe," they boy said before shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Hey Gid," Gabriel answered, throwing his backpack on the counter. "Oh, Gideon, this is Sophie, and Sophie, this is my brother Gideon. The one who likes Supernatural," Gabriel walked over to the cabinets and began rummaging through them.

"Oh, hi," Sophie greeted. She stuck out her hand to shake his, much like she did with his father.

Gideon stared at Sophie. He hadn't said a work, he didn't even move. He looked at her in wonder as if she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. When he realized that she was waiting for him to shake her hand, he stumbled out of his haze, rushing his hand forward to shake hers. Sophie just stared at him with a weird look on her face.

"So, you like Supernatural, huh?" Sophie asked, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the counter.

"Yeah, you?" Gideon asked.

"Hell yeah. What season are you on?" Sophie asked, genuinely curious.

"Season 10," Gideon replied, taking another spoonful of cereal.

"Oh. Season 14," Sophie said, pointing at herself. "Well technically, season 13, since they haven't released season 14 yet, but I'm patiently waiting,"

"I am honestly surprised, and thankful, that they managed to go 12 seasons. I mean, that's amazing,"

"I know! And how each season the plot and problems get more serious and intense, up to the point where you think it can't possibly go any further but then bam!" Sophie laughed, slapping her hand on the counter for emphasis.

"Where's Tatiana?" Gabriel asked.

"Out in the pool," Gideon answered smoothly.

"Tatiana? You guys know her?" Sophie asked, placing her bag on the counter.

"Well, we should, she's our sister," Gabriel joked.

"She's your _sister_?!" Sophie squealed. "I am sooo sorry for you guys."

Gideon let out a small, soft laugh. "Thanks, it's okay. We're older, so we just boss her around,"

Sophie laughed again, this time reaching out and putting her hand on Gideon's arm. "You're funny," Sophie said.

Gideon said nothing back, he blushed and ate more cereal.

"Hey," Gabriel called out. "Chips okay?"

"That's fine,"

"Alright, what do you want to drink, we have soda, tea, lemonade, kool-aid, hawaiian punch, monsters, redbul-"

"I'll just take water,"

"BORING," Gabriel boomed. He tossed Sophie a bag of popcorn, and grabbed a monster and a water bottle. He turn around and put them on the table to put his bag around his shoulders.

"Whatever,"

"Alright, we'll be upstairs doing our 'project'", Gabriel stated, using air quotes around "project."

"No, no. No, just project,"

"That's what I said, 'project'", Gabriel replied, using air quotes again.

"Stop it. We're not doing anything perverted or weird or anything. Literally just a project," Sophie told Gideon.

"I got ya," Gideon replied, winking at her.

Gabriel grabbed the two drinks and headed back to the foyer. He turned around and once again whispered, "'Project'", with air quotes, to Gideon.

"Gabriel!" Sophie yelled, grabbing her bag, and the bag of chips, and running after Gabriel. "It was nice to meet you, Gideon!" Sophie screamed while running upstairs.

Gideon just smiled lamely to himself.

* * *

"Okay, how about this," Sophie offered. They were sitting on the floor of Gabriel's bedroom, eating popcorn and writing down ideas and dates for the project. "Every Monday and Wednesday, we come here, to your place, and every Tuesday, and Thursday, we go to my place, so that way we have every Friday free."

"Alright, sounds good," Gabriel agreed.

"And also... I was wondering if, maybe, I can like, research and build the project, and you write the assignment?" Sophie asked, hoping for him to say yes.

"What- that's not fair!"

"I'll get the information, you just need to put it together. That's plenty fair. Please?" Sophie begged, giving him the puppy eyes like he had done in the car.

"Fine," Gabriel caved.

"Alright, I'll do some research tonight and text you a link to a website if I find anything,"

"Why not just look it up right now?", Gabriel asked, throwing popcorn up in his mouth and catching it.

"Because I am tired. I just want to go home, and take a nap,"

Gabriel gave a small laugh, and threw a chip at Sophie. "Okay. You didn't stay here very long though," Gabriel said, writing his number on a piece of paper. Sophie did the same, and gave it to him. "We could've just stayed at the school."

"Yeah, I know, but I'd do anything to not be stuck in a car with Will," Sophie laughed, grabbing the number from Gabriel, but he wouldn't let go of it.

"Gabriel," Sophie whined, trying to pull the paper out of his hand. Meanwhile, Gabriel was just staring at Sophie, frozen. "Gabriel?"

"Will? As in, Will Herondale? That cocky motherfu-"

"Whoa, hey! That's my brother!" Sophie shot back, snatching the paper from Gabriel. "Well, adoptive brother, at least. You know him?"

"Know him? I _despise_ him. He's my mortal enemy,"

"Your mortal enemy?" Sophie laughed. " _Okay._ "

"You don't understand," Gabriel said, standing up and pushing his hand through his hair. "I hate him."

"Why?"

"Why? _Why?_ Because he broke my arm and embarrassed my sister, that's why!" Gabriel shouted, his cheeks turning light pink.

"When did this happen?" Sophie asked, confused and taken aback.

"Like, eighth grade. My sister had this huge crush on him, and then Will found her diary, and stood up in front of the _whole school_ and read it out loud," Gabriel was now pacing, his feet leaving marks in the carpet. "And then so I jumped up to stop him, and he fricking broke my arm!"

Sophie was speechless. She never heard of this story, she never knew that Will would be so heartless as to read a girl's diary out loud.

"That's why I hate him, he's such a selfish douche who cares nothing about anyone else but himself,"

"Okay, c'mon, that's my brother you're talking about. I'm sure he must have had a good reason,"

"Like bloody hell he does. He _broke_ my _arm,_ "

"I know, but you have a place in this too! You initiated it, you started it," Sophie defended, standing up to face Gabriel.

"I started it? I was protecting my sister!" Gabriel screamed.

"I know, but you can't keep blaming this whole thing on him, you have to take responsibility too!"

"I don't have to do anything!" Gabriel shouted.

"Gabriel, just listen to me-"

"NO! YOU KNOW WHAT, I THINK YOU SHOULD GO!" Gabriel thundered.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! GO!" His face was full on red now.

Sophie felt her eyes stinging with tears. She doesn't like it when people yell at her. Not after her ex. It scared her and makes her feel vulnerable, and just reminded her of him. "Fine. I will," Sophie whispered. She grabbed her stuff and ran out into the hallway, and slammed his door.

 _Crap,_ Sophie thought. _He was my ride home._

Suddenly, Gideon came out of the room a few doors down. Sophie ran down to him, and grabbed his arm. Gideon turned around, surprised to see Sophie. He smiled brightly, but when he saw she was crying, his smile disappeared.

"Sophie, what's wrong?", he asked, grabbing her arms and leaning back and bending a bit to look at her better.

"Can you just take me home, please?" Sophie cried.

* * *

 _Later that night_.

Sophie tossed and turned in her bed, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. She couldn't get Gabriel out of her mind. Why did he yell at her? She hadn't done anything wrong.

There was a soft buzzing, and Sophie looked over to see her phone lit up on her nightstand.

_**One Message: (unknown number)** _

Sophie opened the message.

_I'm so sorry, Sophie._

_-G_


	7. Truthfully Sorry

Gabriel slowly opened his eyes, peering at everything around his room. He rubbed his eyes, and propped himself on his right elbow, leaning over to tilt his radio clock to see the time 11:30 A.M flashing across the dash. Gabriel woke up with a headache, and a really nasty feeling in his gut. He regretted what had happened with Sophie. Why had that happened? Why did he get so mad? He thought it was unfair that Gideon got his mother's calmness and Gabriel had gotten their father's temper. He didn't mean to get so upset, so why had he? He sent her a text, hoping that she would forgive him. Of course she wasn't going to forgive him, he _yelled at her_ for _no_ reason. Gabriel sighed, and sat fully up in his bed, moving the curtains above his bed to let in the sunlight. It wasn't her fault, maybe he should do something. _I'm gonna go visit her,_ he decided.

He got up and changed, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair, all while listening to Sorry by Justin Bieber. He then went downstairs to eat breakfast.

"Hey little brother," Gideon said from the breakfast bar, eating eggs.

"Hey," Gabriel replied, leaning against the counter and rubbing his neck.

"So," Gideon said, picking around his eggs. "What happened yesterday? With your friend?"

"I was an idiot. We were talking, and then we hit a subject that is very sensitive, and knowing me, I got all weird and mad, and I took things wrong and overreacted, and-", Gabriel paused, letting out a deep sigh. "It was a mess."

"Sounds about right," Gideon said. "Well, I took her home yesterday, and she was pretty upset. You should apologize." Gideon got up and rinsed his plate off in the sink. He turned back to the counter to grab his coffee mug, and moved to the coffee maker next to the sink.

"Yeah, I did, and I'm going to go over to her place now and apologize in person, and take her out today. You know, to make up for it," Gabriel shrugged, grabbing an apple out of a bowl on the counter.

"Hey, do you know if she's dating anyone?" Gideon asked, pouring cream and sugar in his coffee.

"I don't know, we're not close," Gabriel laughed. "We just met this week." Gabriel walked out of the kitchen, rubbing the apple on his shirt, and taking a bite.

"Right, well, could you find out because I actually kind of -" Gideon had turned around to face Gabriel, only to see that Gabriel was gone. "Gabriel?"

The sound of a door closing came from the foyer.

"Awesome," Gideon sighed.

* * *

Gabriel reached up to the dark, red door in front of him, and slowly, but firmly, knocked three times. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, having doing this so many times to the point where he's nearly yanking it out. He looked down at his feet and jiggled his leg a bit. A couple seconds had gone by, but it felt like hours. Gabriel checked the watch on his wrist; 11:57. _Is everyone asleep?_ he wondered.

Just then, the door opened, to reveal Charlotte Branwell in sweatpants and a plain white shirt, that was hanging slightly off her right shoulder. Gabriel had never seen Mrs. Branwell like this. She was always dressed nicely, professionally. Seeing her like this made him uncomfortable. Actually, seeing her at all made him uncomfortable. _What is Mrs. Branwell doing at Sophie's house?_

"Mr. Lightwood, hello," Charlotte greeted, stepping back to open the door more.

"Mrs. Branwell, hi," Gabriel replied nervously. _Why the hell am I nervous?_   "Uhm, w-what are you doing here?"

"I live here," Charlotte answered calmly, crossing her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, uh, does Sophie live here?" Gabriel asked slowly. "I think I might have the wrong address, I'm sorry for bothering you." Gabriel turned around on his heel and started down the front steps.

"No, you're right. Sophie's here,"

Gabriel perked his head up and turned back towards the door. "She lives here, with you?" Gabriel asked with disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, she's my daughter. Well, adoptive daughter, but my daughter none the less. Would you like me to go get her?"

Gabriel stood dumbfounded. He didn't know that Charlotte had adopted Will _and_ Sophie.

"Gabriel?"

"What? Oh yes, please, I would like to talk to her," Gabriel stuttered.

"Alright, come on in, it's windy out here,"

"Oh, thank you,"

Gabriel jogged up the stairs and pass Charlotte, standing behind her while she closed the door. Charlotte walked out of the foyer straight ahead pass the kitchen, Gabriel following her.

"Stay right here sweetie, I'll go get her," Charlotte walked to the wall north of the kitchen, where there was a staircase, and walked right up there.

* * *

Sophie woke up and yawned slowly, stretching her arms above her head. She flipped to lay on the other side of her head.

"Sophie?" Charlotte called from the hallway. Charlotte opened the door nob and slowly walked in, closing the door quietly. "Sophie, are you awake?"

Sophie got up and flipped back to her previous side, looking up at Charlotte. "Yes, I'm awake," Sophie replied grumpily.

"Mr. Lightwood is here to see you," Charlotte said, wringing her hands in front of her.

"What? Why?" Sophie asked, walking to her walk-in closet to find something to wear for the day. _Why is Gabriel's dad here to see me?_ Sophie wondered. Probably to tell her to stay away from her son or something. She could tell right away that he didn't like her.

"I don't know. But this is great for you," Charlotte said, moving to sit on Sophie's bed.

"Great for me? Why?", Sophie asked from her closet, closing the door to change.

"Because you're finally out there, you're enjoying yourself, you're talking to other people for a change. While I'm not exactly happy with the choice of people, I'm glad you're not closing yourself in. But I still don't want you to get hurt. Plus, I'm not gonna lie, he's cute,"

"Ew, that's disgusting! Like, are you kidding, this guy's a jerk. He thinks that because he has money, he's better then everyone else. Besides, he's like ol-"

"That's not true," Charlotte interrupted.

"That is completely true! And even though I don't know them much, he's so rude to his kids. He's inconsiderate of their feelings and he's only pushing them into working hard for _himself,_ "

"Kids? I didn't-" Charlotte broke off, taking a deep breath. "I wasn't aware Mr. Lightwood had kids."

"Yeah, he has three. Well, three that I know of, I don't know if they have any more siblings, Gabriel didn't tell me."

Charlotte was nearly hyperventilating at this point.

"Besides, you know his kids, they go to the school," Sophie said, opening her closet door. She was wearing jeans and a plain black v-neck.

"No, they do not,"

"Yes, they do. They have classes with me. Well, two of them do, I haven't really seen the oldest one in my classes. What was his name again?" Sophie added, thinking to herself.

"Classes with you? That's impossible, they wouldn't be old enough,"

"They're nearly the same age as me," Sophie said.

"Wait, who are you talking about?" Charlotte asked.

"Mr. Lightwood. Gabriel's dad,"

"Oh! My goodness, I didn't mean that Mr. Lightwood. I meant Gabriel!" Charlotte exclaimed, relief filling her lungs.

"Oh," Sophie muttered.

"Though you're right about one thing," Charlotte stood from the bed and walked over to the door. "Benedict Lightwood's a grumpy, alcoholic bastard." And with that she left, leaving a wide-eyed Sophie at her bed.

* * *

Gabriel stood awkwardly in the kitchen. He checked his watch anxiously every few seconds.

"Mr. Lightwood, what are you doing here?"

Henry emerged from the staircase and walked over to Gabriel with his hands in his flannel pajama.

"I'm here to see Sophie. Mrs. Branwell just went to get her,"

"Oh, well can I get you anything? Tea, water? Are you hungry?"

"Oh, no, thank you, I'm good,"

"Alright," Henry said, giving him a pat on the shoulder when passing him. He walked over to the toaster and grabbed a loaf of bread and inserted two pieces in.

"Hey, Henry, do you have any batteries because my monster truck's not working and I think the battery might be dea-"

Gabriel turned around to see Will Herondale staring at him.

"Lightworm," Will stated, crossing his arms.

"Herondale," Gabriel shot back, mimicking his movements.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see someone. What are you doing here?"

"I live here, you bloody idiot,"

"Whatever. You still play with monster trucks?" Gabriel asked, barely holding in his laughter.

"Yes, I do. They're quite entertaining, actually. In fact, why don't you go lay in front of a real one? You'd be doing the world a favor," Will snapped, stepping closer to Gabriel.

"Shut up, Will. What are you doing here, Gabriel?" Sophie asked from the staircase.

"Sophie, there you are, hey,"

"Sophie, you know him? You know Lightworm?"

"Yes, Will, I do, he's my partner in some stupid project," Sophie replied, walking forward to stand between Will and Gabriel.

"Hey!" Henry whined from the kitchen.

"Sorry,"

"How are you, Soph?" Gabriel asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"I'm fine, you?" Sophie asked warily.

"Soph? Now he's taking our nickname for you?"

"Wha- you never call me Soph, Will!" Sophie argued.

"Yes I do, all the time!"

"Barely," Sophie snapped, rolling her eyes,

"Can we talk? In private?" Gabriel asked towards Sophie.

"No," Will and Henry said simultaneously. Everyone looked back at Henry, who just shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his juice.

"Say what you want, right here," Will said.

"Fine," Gabriel shot at Will. "Sophie, I'm so sorry about yesterday . It was stupid, and I overreacted over nothing, and I honestly feel terrible about it. The whole thing was just stupid."

"You already said stupid," Sophie said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Right," Gabriel laughed.

"What happened yesterday?" Will asked.

"Nothing," Gabriel and Sophie said. "Anyways, to make up for it, I came here to see if you wanted to hang out today?" Gabriel added.

"Absolutely not, I forbid you to hang out with Lightworm," Will hissed at Sophie, pointing one finger at her, his other hand on his hip.

"It's Light _wood_ ," Gabriel hissed through his teeth.

"You _forbid_ me? Alright, sure let me just go get my phone and put my shoes on," Sophie smirked, running upstairs.

"Henry, are you seeing this?" Will asked, looking over to Henry for help. He was in the middle of making his toasts sword fight, after having cut out characters and swords out of them.

"What?" Henry asked, after a few, quiet seconds.

Will groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Who are you?" a small voice asked. Gabriel looked up to see a girl with stunning black hair, and mesmerizing blue eyes walking towards him.

"Gabriel," he answered, reaching out to shake her hand. "Gabriel Lightwood."

"Lightwood? As in, Lightworm? As in, the Lightworm that Will is obsessed with?" the girl laughed.

"I'm not obsessed with him!" Will fumed.

"Wow, Will, I'm flattered, really, but I'm sorry, it's just not my style," Gabriel replied sweetly. He was really trying to push Will's buttons.

"Alright, ready to go?" Sophie asked, appearing at his elbow.

"Yeah, let's go," Gabriel replied. Sophie grabbed Gabriel's arm and pulled him towards the foyer.

"By the way, I'm Cecily," the girl yelled. "Cecily Herondale."

"Herondale? You're Will's sister, that's why you guys look so much alike," Gabriel said.

"Yeah, except the mustache," Sophie said.

"I don't have a mustache," Will said.

"I was talking about Cece," Sophie laughed, grabbing Gabriel and running out the door, ignoring Cecily's high-pitched squeal.

"Sophie! I'm going to kill you!" Cecily barked, throwing her hands over her lips. Inside, she was laughing, she knew Sophie was joking. But Cecily had wished she didn't do it in front of the Lightwood boy. She thought he was quite hot, despite his ridiculous feud with Will.


	8. Surprise

"So what do you want to do? Go to the park, go shopping, go to the movies?" Gabriel asked, stopping at a red light.

Sophie pondered for a minute before answering, "Let's go to the arcade!"

Gabriel looked at Sophie in amusement. "The arcade?"

"Yeah! Can we? Please?" she begged, giving puppy dog eyes.

Gabriel stared at Sophie for about a good minute. He was so surprised. Most girls would take advantage and go shopping, or something. But Sophie just wanted to have fun. Sure there might be some girls who might've wanted to go to the arcade or something , but there was something about Sophie that always surprised him. She looked so sweet and innocent that you would never expect her to be so... _real_. "Alright, to the arcade it is,"

* * *

"Thanks for today, I had fun," Sophie said, taking her seat belt off.

"Ah, no problem," Gabriel waved off.

"So, there's something that I want to ask you,"

"Alright," Gabriel said, turning in his seat to face Sophie better. "What's up?"

"Well, tomorrow's my birthday-"

"It is? Happy birthday!"

"I said _tomorrow,"_ Sophie smirked. "So every year, on my birthday, Jem, Will, Cece, and I have a little party, just the four of us, and we just watch movies and eat junk food and play games and give weird and intense dares, and we don't usually invite people, but I guess this year we are, since Will's inviting his girlfriend and I don't know about Jem and Cecily, but since we're inviting people..."

"Yesss?" Gabriel asked. He knew she was going to ask him. He knew she didn't want to, but she wanted him there. Instead of helping her out by offering to go, he decided to tease her a bit.

"Would you- I mean, how-" Sophie let out a small cough. "Do you want to come?"

Gabriel laughed lightly at Sophie and turned back in his seat to face the steering wheel. "Sure,"

"Great! Come whenever you want, as long as it's after seven. Charlotte and Henry have to go to this business thing for St. Johnathan's, and they're leaving at 6:30,"

"Okay,"

Sophie got out of the car and ran inside, stopping at the steps to wave back to Gabriel, who smiled and gave a little wave back. Gabriel then left the house.

* * *

"Alright, so we've got the movies, hot chocolate, chips, drinks. Anything else that we're missing?" Sophie turned to Cecily. They had gone out to the store to get supplies for the "party" they were having. Will and Jem had gone out to pick up the pizzas.

"Nope, I think we're all good,"

"Let's go," Sophie said, cranking up the car and driving out of the parking lot.

* * *

"What. The. Hell," Sophie said, pulling onto the neighbors front yard since cars were parked all around hers.

"Who are these people?" Cecily asked, jumping out of the car. "Who's having a party?"

There were people coming in and out from their house, and some were making out on the front lawn. The house was lit up and music was blaring from it.

"Charlotte's gonna freak," Sophie walked up to the house, pushing past people who smelled like alcohol and too much axe body spray She walked into the house, and it was packed full of people. Some were dancing, quite vulgarly, she might add. The house reeked of alcohol and the music was making her nearly deaf. She walked around for a bit, trying to find anyone she recognized to get more information. She found Jessie in the foyer, dancing -rubbing- on a guy.

"Jessie! What's going on?!" Sophie roared over the music.

"Sophie! Happy birthday! It's your party!" Jessie slurred, leaning onto the guy for balance.

"I don't want a party! Jessie, get rid of these people, now! Charlotte and Henry are going to be furious,"

"Charlotte and Henry aren't here!"

"I don't care, do it now!"

Jessamine just ignored her and ran off with the guy.

"Ugh!" Sophie groaned. "Alright, Cece, you deal with her, I'll take care of this,"

Cecily nodded and ran off after Jessamine, her black hair flowing easily. "Jessamine!"

Sophie ran off to the front door, only to find Jem and Will standing right in front of it.

"Sophie! You threw an actual party?!" Will screeched. He looked furious. "I'm so proud of you!" His face broke into a huge smile and he jumped forward to hug Sophie, only to be thrown off into the wall.

"I did not throw this party! Jessamine did, and I need help getting rid of these people," Sophie shouted over the noise.

"Alright, I'll cut the music, you handle the people, and Will, you go upstairs and get everyone up there out," Jem said, already moving to the living room where the stereo was.

Will headed upstairs, groaning and whining.

Sophie stood up on a table, careful not to knock over the vase that was placed in the middle of it. When the music shut off, Sophie cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, "Party's over!"

There was a wave of groans, and some threw plastic cups at her.

"Go! Out, everybody, party's over,"

"Who says?" asked a guy from the crowd. He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and he was holding a girl to his side.

"Says me,"

"And who are you?"

This guy was seriously testing Sophie's patience. "I'm gonna be your worst nightmare if you don't get the hell out of my house," Sophie shot back.

The guys eyes widened in fear a bit but he played it cool. "Whatevs. This party was lame anyways," He headed for the door, everyone following after him.

"I know, I suck, yes, yes," Will was pushing people downstairs, and out the doors, while Jem helped Sophie down from the table.

Soon, everyone was out of the house, and it looked like a tornado had torn threw the house. Cups were everywhere, trash was everywhere, furniture was moved, pictures were cricked.

Will, Jem, and Sophie were left staring at the house.

"I'm guessing I'm late?" a voice said from the front door.

The three of them turned around to see Gabriel Lightwood standing at the door.

"Lightworm. What are you doing here?" Will sneered. "The party's over."

"Actually, Sophie invited me here for her birthday, you prat,"

"You invited him?! We don't invite people!" Will exclaimed to Sophie.

"You invited Tessa," Sophie stated.

"That's different. Tessa doesn't reek of desperation and idiocy," Will shot, eyes piercing at Gabriel.

"By the Angel, you're giving me a headache, Will!" Sophie sighed, pressing her hand to her head, and heading upstairs.

"Nice going, you daft cow,"

* * *

Gabriel ran up the stairs after Sophie, following her trail to her room. She slammed the door, leaving him out in the hallway.

"Sophie?" Gabriel knocked on the door softly, opening it to see her laying on her bed.

"Sup?" Sophie asked. "Sorry, Will just really gives me a headache, I had to get away."

"Will gives everyone a headache," Gabriel laughed. He closed the door, and walked to the bed to sit next to Sophie.

"You can go home, we're gonna be cleaning the house tonight because of bloody Jessamine and her stupid party," Sophie said, sitting up.

"I can stay and help,"

"Thanks," Sophie said, slightly bumping into Gabriel. "But you and Will, not a smart choice."

Gabriel chuckled and bumped her back.

"This year was awful," Sophie sighed. "Y'know, when I was a kid, I had a list of what I was gonna accomplish before I was 18."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Well, I thought I was going to be the prettiest ballerina in the world,"

Gabriel laughed again, his head tipping back.

"Well, I was a kid! Of course I wanted to be a ballerina!" Sophie laughed. "I was going to have my own place, because the foster system sucked. I was going to have a perfect kiss..." Sophie looked down at her hands. "But, life happened I guess."

Gabriel looked down at Sophie with soft eyes.

"Well, I should get cleaning,"

"You like cleaning, don't you?" Gabriel asked, standing up.

"What can I say? I'm a weird person,"

"Yeah," Gabriel said, his eyes staring into Sophie's.

Sophie walked to the door and downstairs to his car, Gabriel following her. Gabriel got into his car, and rolled down the window to talk to Sophie.

"Thanks for coming, sorry you didn't have a chance to stay. Maybe next year," Sophie joked.

"It's cool,"

Sophie patted the car as a way of saying bye, and started for her house.

"Sophie, wait. Come here," Gabriel said.

Sophie walked back to the car, to where Gabriel was.

Gabriel reached out and grabbed her head softly, kissing her passionately and slowly. Sophie put her hands on each side of his head, moving closer, despite the car door between them.

They finally broke off, their foreheads resting against each others. "That's one thing you can cross off your list," Gabriel said.

Sophie opened her eyes slowly to look at Gabriel, and pulled her hands down to her side and backed up.

"Happy birthday, Soph," Gabriel whispered. He pulled out, and drove down the road, disappearing into the darkness.


	9. What Happened

Sophie walked back into the house, her eyes slightly wide. She looked like her soul has been drained from her body. _He kissed me._ He _kissed_ me _. What does that mean? I thought we were just friends. I can't believe... he kissed me._

"Sophie, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Cecily was picking up plastic red cups when Sophie walked in.

"Y- yeah. I'm fine. Just a bit cold, that's all," Sophie left to the kitchen and had turned the stereo back on, flipping to a station more tolerable. She started to moved the furniture back into its place. _He kissed me,_ was all that was running through Sophie's mind.

* * *

_I kissed her. Why did I do that? It's not like I like her. I don't. We're just friends. If you can even call it that, we're really just partners. Okay, maybe I like her a little, but- wait a minute, what am I thinking? I have to apologize to her._

Gabriel reached his front door, and went inside. To the left, in the dining room, was his family, having dinner. When he shut the door, his dad perked up.

"Where were you, son?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, you missed dinner,"

"I was out with a friend. It was her birthday today and we were just hanging out for a short while,"

"A friend? You don't have any girl friends," Tatiana blurted. She was examining her nails, then proceeded to eat her salad. "Are you dating her?"

"No. We're just friends. Kind of. It's complicated. We're partners for a project and-"

"How is it complicated then?" Benedict asked, picking a newspaper off the table.

"Well-"

"Oh, wait, is it that girl you brought the other day? Sophie?" Gideon asked. His faced seemed to brighten at her name, and his ears turned a bit red.

"Yeah-"

"Wait. Not Sophie _Collins_? Jessie's sister?" Tatiana directed her questions towards Gideon. Upon him saying yes, she then directed her next questions to Gabriel. "You're hanging out with that scar-faced snob? She's a loser."

"Shut up," Gideon and Gabriel snapped.

"Boys," Benedict warned, without looking up from the newspaper.

"I didn't know it was her birthday today. Can you give me her number so I can wish her a happy birthday?"

At this, Tatiana groaned.

"Sure, of course, I'll do it later. I'm not hungry, I'm gonna go take a shower," Gabriel headed up the stairs, heading towards his own room. _Why did I kiss her?_ was replaying through his mind.

* * *

Gabriel reached up to his brother's door, knocking lightly. A muffled reply came through the door. "Gideon?" Gabriel walked in to find his brother rummaging through his desk, muttering angrily in Spanish.

"¿Dónde está? No puede desaparecer!" Gideon muttered, throwing paper over his shoulder.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "Gideon,"

Gideon stopped in his tracks and looked up to find Gabriel standing in his room with a piece of paper in his hand. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

Gabriel shot Gideon a short of weird look before his tongue remembered how to form words. "You wanted Sophie's number, right? To wish her a happy birthday?"

"Oh si! Yes, si. Thank you," Gideon jumped forward and took the paper out of Gabriel's hand. He looked at his brother and noticed a slight difference in him. "Are you okay?"

Gabriel looked at Gideon with surprise. "Yeah, I'm fine. Something happened tonight and I'm just really confused,"

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Gideon offered, sitting down on his bed.

"Well," Gabriel trailed, taking a seat next to his brother on the bed. What could he tell him? That he kissed Sophie? He'd never stop teasing him about his "first crush." "I have this friend. And he thinks he might like this girl, but he's not sure about it. They don't really know each other all that much, but they became good friends."

"Okay," Gideon nodded, trailing along the story. "What's the problem?"

"He doesn't know how she feels. And like I said, he thinks he might like her... What do you think he should do?"

Gideon looked down at his feet, thinking. "Well," His head tilted with thought. "He should do something about it. Something to find out the answer to both."

"He has already kissed her,"

"Perfect. The key simply lays in her reaction to the kiss and how it felt,"

"It felt..." Gabriel trailed off, his mind lost in the memory. "Amazing."

Gideon stared at his little brother with an astonishing and confused look on his face. Gabriel snapped back to reality and scrambled to explained his sudden answer.

"That's what he said. My friend," Gabriel added. "How did you get to be this wise?" Gabriel asked, his chin sticking up.

Gideon just laughed it off and messed up Gabriel's hair.


	10. Start of a New Friendship

"Get out, Will," Cecily whined. "You have your own room, and I'm busy here!"

Will was lying on Cecily's bed gazing at his sister with puppy dog eyes. Cecily was in the middle of writing a paper for her history class when Will came barging in and flopped down on her bed. Will did this often, claiming that it's been _forever_ since he's seen his sister, but Cecily knew he was just being overdramatic about wanting to hang out with her. She didn't mind, but he always had bad timing. When she's doing homework, when she's editing, when she's watching Sherlock. One time she was in the shower and he came into the bathroom and sat on the toilet just so they could talk! It was ridiculous most times, but she loved having her brother around anyways.

"I miss you!" Will exclaimed. "I miss my sister."

"I just saw you downstairs twenty minutes ago," Cecily said.

"Yeah, you _saw_ me but you didn't say hi or anything!" Will said. "You broke my heart."

Will rolled around and slung his arm over his face. "I'm in pain here!" he cried, peeking over his arm to see if he was getting to Cecily. He wasn't.

"You don't have a heart," Cecily reminded him, typing her fingers across her keyboard. Of course her brother had a heart, he was just cold. Mostly to other people but that doesn't mean its okay. Although with Tessa lately, he seemed to be getting better. Cecily was glad for Tessa. She made him happy, happier than Cecily has seen him in a long time. Tessa was nice too, and very pretty. She and Cecily were good friends, but she didn't know Tessa all that much.

"Rude," Will said, pointing a finger at her.

Cecily looked at Will for awhile, her eyes drilling into his.

"Fine!" she said, giving in. She closed her laptop and placed it next to her on her nightstand. "What do you want to do?"

Will shot up, folding his legs under him. "Let's watch a movie!"

"Okay, but I'm choosing the movie,"

"Deal,"

Cecily reached over and grabbed the remote while Will got under the covers to snuggle. "Okay, let's see…" she mumbled.

"Let's watch Frozen!" Will exclaimed, poking her. "NO, WAIT, THE NOTEBOOK!"

"No, you girl, we're going to watch…" Cecily flipped through the movie list. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

"But it's not even Christmas!" Will complained, shooting forwards.

"You can watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas whenever!"

Will groaned, leaning back into the pillows and hitting his head onto the headboard. "Ouch, son of a-"

"Language," Cecily warned.

"Who are you, Captain America?" Will smirked, rubbing the back of his head.

Cecily grabbed a pillow and hit Will in the face, forcing his head backwards to hit the headboard again.

"Oww!" Will whined, rubbing the back of his head while Cecily burst out laughing at her brother's pain.

* * *

Sophie turned over in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep, not after what happened. She played the scene over and over in her head. What could this possibly mean? Did he like her? Or was he just trying to make her feel better? Even though she didn't know him that well she knew him enough to say that it was the second one. There's no way he liked her, he was Gabriel Lightwood. Handsome, popular apparently. He could have any girl, why would he want her? He didn't. She didn't look like every other girl, not with the scar on her face. A light was cast onto the ceiling as her phone beeped, indicating she got a message. She rolled over and grabbed her phone, wincing at the sudden brightness of light beaming from her phone.

_Hey. Is this Sophie?_

Who is this? Sophie stared at the number. She didn't recognize it.

_**Yeah. Who is this?** _

_Gideon. Gideon Lightwood, Gabriel's brother? He said it was your birthday a couple days ago and I've been meaning to say Happy Birthday but I never really had a good chance. So, Happy Birthday._

Sophie remembered Gideon. He was nice.

_**Oh, thanks! It's nice to get birthday wishes from a stranger! LOL** _

_Stranger, eh? Well, maybe I can change that._

_**We already know each other's name. That's one step closer.** _

_I suppose. What's the next step?_

_**Idk. I guess that's really up to you.** _

Sophie smiled at her phone. Her eyes were growing tired. She needed to get some sleep.

_**I should get some sleep. Thanks for the birthday wish. I'll see you around school.** _

_No, problem. Goodnight Sophie._

That night Sophie fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

Gabriel kicked a small pebble out of his way. He was walking in school's park, his destination nowhere. His mind wandered. It had been two days since he saw Sophie. Since _it_ happened. He missed her. He couldn't understand it but he did. He missed her smile. Her remarks. How she seemed she put up with him easily. How he got on her nerves. Gabriel looked up as a roar of thunder struck the sky. His eyes grazed a girl sitting against a tree. Her hair was long and brown and it was pulled up into a bun. She had a book in her lap and she seemed to be talking to herself. Gabriel's eyes flared up in recognition. He grinned as he watched her struggle with herself. She looked down at her book, screaming at it. She picked it up and closed it, tossing it aside. She sat there with her arms crossed, her lips puffed out. Her scar was more visible now, the edges red and ragged. Gabriel strolled over to her, towering over her.

"Hey Soph," he said.

Sophie looked up, her face still scowling. "Hey,"

"You okay? Did you get mad at your book?" Gabriel laughed.

"It's not funny!" Sophie said, though Gabriel could see a small smile tugging at her lips.

Gabriel laughed. "Mind if I sit?" he asked, pointing to the spot next to her.

Sophie moved over, letting Gabriel next to her. They sat next to each other awkwardly. Neither of them said a word until Gabriel cleared his throat.

"Listen, I should apologize for… Y'know, what I did the other day. When I kissed you. I- I wasn't thinking, I didn't think of you, if you wanted it or if you had a boyfriend-"

"It's okay," Sophie laughed. "Really, it's fine. You were just trying to cheer me up, right?"

"Uh yeah, right," Gabriel stuttered, wringing his hands. It was only half the truth, but he didn't know what the other half was. "Did it work?"

Sophie looked at him. Her lips twitched. Was she nervous? No, why would she be? "Yeah, it did… but, uhm, just to clarify, I don't have a boyfriend."

"No?"

Sophie shook her head. "Have you seen me? Please,"

"Oh, come on. You're beautiful," he assured her. "A little bratty at times, but-"

"Hey!" Sophie shouted, slapping his arm.

"Okay, okay!" Gabriel laughed. "But I mean it,"

Sophie looked up at him, her brown eyes wide and shining.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.


	11. Free Falling

"Hey, are you guys going to the Snowfalls dance this Friday?" Cecily asked. It was lunch and Sophie, Will, Tessa, Jem, and Cecily were sitting at the table.

"I don't know," Jem said.

"Tess, we should get matching outfits!" Will exclaimed suddenly.

"I'll think about it," Tessa said.

"Why, Jem?" Cecily asked.

"Because I don't have a date." Jem answered. "Besides, I'd much rather stay home and finish my report."

"No, please Jem!" Will begged. "You can hang out with me and Tessa!"

Jem scoffed. "And be the third wheel in the dance circle and have you guys run off to make out and leave me by myself? No thank you."

Will gasped dramatically. "We would _NEVER_."

"You did it yesterday afternoon. Remember, we went to get frozen yogurt after school?" Jem glared at Will.

"Oh yeah," Will giggled, sharing a look with Tessa. "I remember."

"Sorry, Jem," Tessa sighed, her apology sincere.

"It's cool," Jem assured her.

"Sophie, what about you?" Cecily turned to Sophie. "Are you going?"

Sophie didn't like their school dances much. She usually went alone, except for the few times when her and Jem would hang out together in the bleachers. The decorations were usually bright and sparkly, thanks to the captain of the dance committee, Magnus Bane. He's always wearing so much glitter, he looks like he practically showers in it. He goes overboard on the decorations, often leaving the gym looking like faeries had thrown up all over the place. One time they had an "Under the Sea" theme and Magnus made a giant whale statue that hung above the gym. When the song "Under the Sea" started to play, the whale gave way and poured out gallons of blue and white glitter atop everyone on the dance floor. The janitor was not happy.

"No," Sophie answered.

"Why?" Cecily whined.

"I don't have a date either, and I really don't want to spend the next two weeks scrubbing glitter off of me," Sophie said.

"I can find you a date!" Cecily chirped.

"It's too late-" Sophie started to say.

"No, it's not! We have two days!" Cecily interrupted, standing up. "I will find you a date today, and tomorrow we'll go shopping!"

Sophie groaned. "That's okay. I'll go, just don't find me a date."

Cecily nodded. "Tessa, would you like to go shopping with us tomorrow?"

"Oh, sure, I'd love to," Tessa said.

"This is so great, my sisters and my girlfriend are going shopping together!" Will said happily.

Sophie let out another groan, slamming her head into her arms on the table.

* * *

Sophie stood at her locker, looking into the mirror she put onto the locked door. She pulled out her lip balm, and traced it onto her lips. She sighed as she put the cap back on. She was not looking forward to shopping. She was not a big person on looks so she didn't care much about her clothes. Cecily on the other hand _loved_ shopping. She could shop for days without sleeping.

"Hello love,"

Sophie turned to see Magnus Bane leaning on the locker next to hers. "Hey Mags," Sophie said.

"Why so glum, plum?" Magnus asked.

"Plum?" Sophie giggled. "Did you just call me a plum?"

"It rhymed," Magnus explained. "So, what did you call me over for?"

"I was wondering if I could help set up for the dance?" Sophie asked. "I know I'm not on the dance committee but I don't really have anything to do so-"

"Of course, we could use some more hands," Magnus replied cheerfully. "Stop by in the gym tomorrow afterschool."

"Cool, thanks," Sophie said. "Hey, do you have a date yet?"

Magnus blushed furiously. "Yes,"

Sophie closed her locker and leaned on her side. "Who?" she asked, her lips pulled into a huge smile.

"It's this guy I met at the park," Magnus said. "His name's Alec."

"Good for you Mags," Sophie said.

Magnus blushed again, this time his face broke out into a grin. "You're going to the dance, right? Do you have a date?"

"Yes, I'm going, but no, I don't have a date," Sophie sighed.

"Great!" Magnus exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Alec's cousin goes here and he needs a date too. How would you feel about going with him?"

Sophie thought for a bit. What's the harm? "Sure," she said.

"You are the best!" Magnus said, giving Sophie a light kiss on her forehead, then he gasped. "CAN I DRESS YOU UP?!"

"Well, tomorrow I'm going shopping with Cecily and Tessa," Sophie told him, running her fingers through her hair.

"Perfect, I trust Cecily's judgement," Magnus said. "Before the dance, why don't you come over to my place and I'll do your hair and makeup, and then we can go and meet Alec and his cousin."

"Makeup?" Sophie groaned.

"Just a little, I promise!" Magnus said, his eyes bright and begging. "Please?"

"Fine," Sophie yawned. "I'm going to walk away now."

Magnus laughed as he watched Sophie walk down the hallway and turn a corner.

* * *

Music poured from the stage where the radio was placed. "Magic" by B.o.B was playing and Magnus was rapping without missing a beat. Sophie laughed as she climbed the ladder in front of her. She placed the last snowflake on the string above her. All along the ceiling there were snowflakes in different heights. Sophie looked at her work with satisfaction, and started to climbed down. Her foot missed a step and she fell, but was caught at the last minute. A strong pair of muscular arms wrapped around her. She gasped as her brain comprehended to the situation. She looked at the person who caught her and blushed. He had sandy blonde hair and his lips were tinged with red and were smiling. His eyes were a luminous green and were looking at her. He set her down and pulled his hands into his pockets. He was wearing blue jeans and a black v-neck.

"You ought to be careful there," Gideon laughed. "Are you okay?"

Sophie hugged her body, still shaking at the sheer feeling of free falling. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

"No problem," Gideon said.

Sophie laughed nervously, still blushing from when his arms were around her body.

"Nice job," Gideon said, admiring Sophie's work.

"Oh," Sophie giggled. "Yeah, an hour and a near death experience later, and here it is: a masterpiece."

Gideon laughed, his hands running through his hair.

Sophie looked at Gideon with curiosity. "I didn't know you were on the dance committee."

"Oh, I'm not," he said. "I'm just here to pick up Gabriel."

"School ended an hour ago," Sophie said.

"He had detention," Gideon sighed. "He told Mr. Starkweather that he looked like he could be E.T's grandfather or something ridiculous like that."

"Of course he did," Sophie laughed.

"So, I was wondering," Gideon said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "…if you would maybe, kind of, want to go to the dance with me?"

Sophie looked at Gideon with a surprised look. Never in a million years had she expected that a man as handsome as Gideon would want to go to a dance with her. Maybe he didn't. Perhaps it was a dare, or he felt pity for her. Sophie would never know, for she already had a date.

"I'm sorry," Sophie said, with the uneasiness of having to never turn someone down. "I already have a date."

"Oh, that's cool," Gideon said, his eyes had gone dark and his hands were back into his pockets. He was smiling but it didn't seem sincere. "Sorry to bother you."

Before Sophie could say anything, Gideon had walked away. Sophie didn't have enough time to feel guilty, because at that moment Cecily came barging into the gym with Tessa, telling Sophie that it was time to go shopping. _Yay._

* * *

Never, ever again will Sophie go shopping with Cecily and Tessa. Tessa turned out to be just as obsessed as Cecily and they spent _five hours_ at the mall, dragging Sophie form store to store. After two hours, Sophie finally found the perfect dress. It was a navy blue dress that hugged the top above her waist and flowed out from the waist down to above her knees. The straps crisscrossed on her back and a dark lace circled her waist. She was planning on wearing black ankle boots that had a bit of a pointed top so it didn't look too grudgy and mix-matched. Sophie never really liked heels much. They were ridiculously uncomfortable and she was already tall enough. Sophie hung her dress up on a hanger and placed her shoes underneath the dress. She strolled over to her bed and collapsed on top, falling asleep on impact.


	12. A Near Setback

Today was a long day for Sophie. She overslept this morning and had only seven minutes to get ready, which of course made her to forget to brush her hair. She still managed to grab her dress and shoes for the dance, since she was meeting Magnus at his house after school. Sophie walked down the school's front steps. She looked around to try to find Magnus, after realizing she had no idea where he lived. She pulled out her phone and texted him, asking if she could just hitch a ride with him. He replied almost instantly with a thumbs-up emoji. Sophie walked a few more steps down. She saw a guy with brown hair, wearing jeans and a simple green t-shirt. He was sitting on top the school's wall that separated the grass from the pavement. She recognized him immediately and walked over to him, a playful smile on her lips.

"Hey Gabe," she said teasingly, nudging his shoulder.

"Hey," he mumbled. "Don't ever call me that again."

"Jeez," Sophie teased. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

"I'm fine," he assured her.

Sophie raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Seriously, I'm fine. I just- I have to hang out with my cousin until tonight and she is just really controlling,"

"Oh no! Hanging out with family? Is there anything worse?" Sophie whined.

"Shut up," Gabriel laughed. "You don't know her,"

"Why till tonight?" Sophie asked, brushing dirt off her jeans.

"Well, the dance is tonight. I can't abandon my date,"

"You have a date?" Sophie scoffed. "Poor girl."

"Hey, any girl would be lucky to be my date!" Gabriel said proudly.

"Yeah, lucky to survive it," Sophie laughed.

"You're just jealous!"

"Oh, please, Gabriel," Sophie said. "Be a little more realistic,"

Gabriel laughed, a dumb smile on his face. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Sophie asked.

Just then a car pulled up to the curb in front of them, Magnus' car, to be exact, though they couldn't see them because of the tinted windows.

"Do you have a date?" Gabriel asked.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Sophie said, standing up and fixing her bag strap on her shoulder. She started walking towards Magnus' car.

"Oh, come on. Just tell me!" Gabriel shouted from across the pavement.

Sophie turned around, walking backwards towards the car. She stretched her arms out on either side of her. "You'll find out tonight!"

She opened the passenger door and swooped herself into the seat.

"All good?" Magnus asked.

"All good," Sophie confirmed.

* * *

Sophie waited for Magnus in his room, cleaning up his "stations" while he finished getting dressed in the bathroom. He had two separate areas where he did Sophie's hair and makeup, and then his own. Only thing left to do was for Sophie to get dressed and then they wait for their dates to show up. His room was annoyingly huge and obnoxiously bright. Light blue walls stretched up into high ceilings, which had a small, yet delicately beautiful chandelier. His décor was vintage-y but he still managed to show his personality through his choice of style.

Sophie looked beautiful. Her hair was curled into loose curls that cascaded down her back and shoulders. A section of curls fell over her face, almost covering her scar. Not that you could see it anyways. Magnus had applied the right kind of makeup to where her scar was barely visible. Her eyes were dark with eyeliner and mascara. She didn't have any eye-shadow on, creating a natural look. She took a long look at herself in the full mirror by the window. She barely recognized herself.

Magnus came out of the bathroom fully dressed. He looked absolutely handsome. His hair was twisted up, small blue and white glitter streaks bright against his black hair. He was in a black and white tux, although his vest underneath was light blue, matching the glitter in his hair and on his eyelids.

"You look amazing, Mags," Sophie told him.

"Obviously," Magnus said.

Sophie rolled her eyes, failing to suppress the giggle from her mouth.

"Alright, it's your turn to get dressed so grab your dress and-", Magnus gasp loudly, his eyes wide and looking at his bed.

"What?" Sophie asked, her eyes trailing his. She looked at the bed and gasped too, her hands flying to her o-shaped mouth.

Her dress was ripped to shreds on his bed. The navy blue fabric was torn and the straps were gone.

"What happened?!" Sophie shrieked, running over to the bed.

"I don't know!" Magnus stammered.

Suddenly the dress began to move. A bulge formed and moved from right to left in a zigzag line, before it reached the end of the bed and a cat came crashing down at Sophie's feet.

"Chairman Meow!" Magnus screamed. "How could you do this? Bad cat! Go!"

The cat ran out of Magnus' room, a smug look on his face.

"Sophie, I am deeply sorry," Magnus said.

"No, it's okay," Sophie told him. "It wasn't your fault."

"Still, just let me pay you back for it."

"Its fine," Sophie sighed. "Sorry all your work on me was useless. I guess I'm not going to the dance."

Magnus stared quietly at Sophie for a moment. "Actually, I might have something for you."

"You have a dress up your sleeve?" Sophie hoped.

"Well, not up my sleeve, but in my closet."

"Why do you have a dress?"

"It belonged to my ex. She was a beautiful woman but a raging bitch. None the less, her style was fine and stunning. Her size is similar to yours. What do you say?" Magnus said.

"Well, I did promise to be your boyfriend's cousin's date," Sophie said. "Alright, show me it."

Magnus walked Sophie over to the closet, which, of course, was a walk-in closet. Magnus walked to the back, pulling a hanger off the rack.

A loud ringing sounded through the house, startling Sophie.

"They're here," Magnus said. "Quick, put this on, and then wear these heels."

"Heels?" Sophie groaned. "I have boots, they'll be fine,"

"You are not wearing those hideous boots with this dress," Magnus said firmly, giving Sophie a pair of white, thin strapped heels. "I'm going to let them in, you hurry up and get changed and meet us down there."

"Okay," Sophie said.

"Hurry," Magnus said, walking out the bedroom door, leaving Sophie alone to change.

* * *

Gabriel waited, pulling at the tie around his neck.

"Stop that," the man next to him said. "You're going to mess it up."

"I don't care, Alec. It's too tight."

Alec sighed, reaching up to ring the doorbell. They were standing at the door of a large manor that looked somewhat coastal, its white walls bright against the sunset sky.

A few minutes later a man opened the door. He was wearing a tux and he had glitter on his eyes and in his hair.

"Magnus?" Gabriel said in disbelief.

"Gabriel. How nice to see you," Magnus said, then he turned to the other boy. "Alec,"

"Hi," Alec whispered, blush creeping up on his cheeks.

"Please, come in," Magnus said, stepping aside for the two boys to walk through the front door.

"So, where's my date?" Gabriel asked. "You're not my date, right?"

"No, I am not," Magnus laughed. "She is upstairs getting ready. She should be done in a few minutes."

Gabriel nodded, walking off to look at a picture that hung by the staircase. He could hear Magnus and Alec talking, Magnus' smooth voice and Alec's stuttering one. Gabriel feared that his cousin would not be known for a great ability to woo people.

"Oh, there she is," Magnus said after a few minutes, pointing at the top of the staircase.

Gabriel looked up and his heart fluttered in his chest.

A girl stood at the top, her eyes staring at Gabriel below. Her hair was in curls and was flowing down her back. Her eyes were light and natural looking and were a rich brown. Her dress- oh, her dress was simply angelic on her. It was a strapless one, with a heart shaped top that smooth down to the ground, pulling excess fabric behind her, which was a smooth white silk. A slit went up to her mid thigh, and the dress dipped down on her back. Gabriel was stuck in place and was at a loss for words. The girl came down the staircase, stopping one step above Gabriel.

"What are the chances?" she laughed.

Gabriel continued to stare at her, his mind still rambling. "Sophie?"

"That's my name," she said.

"You look…" Gabriel trailed off, still tongue-tied.

"Like I came straight out of the Princess Diaries?" Sophie laughed.

"Like an angel," he whispered.

Sophie looked at him in surprise, her eyes scorched through his like she was trying to find a hint of sarcasm.

"Ready, love?" Magnus asked from the front door.

"Yeah," Sophie said, walking towards the door, leaving Gabriel to look longingly after her.


	13. Dating Now

"So, are you feeling lucky?" Gabriel asked as he handed Sophie her drink.

They were standing against a wall, watching people dance close to each other- _very close_.

"Lucky for what?" Sophie asked, her eyebrows drawn in confusion. She looked around for some clue or a hint of what he was talking about.

"Lucky enough to survive being my date?" Gabriel laughed.

She realized he was referring to their conversation from the day before. Sophie let out a little giggle before saying, "I was just picking on you,"

"I know," Gabriel said, smiling brightly. He looked out over the dance floor, his eyes brushing over several faces until he saw one that filled him with rage. William Herondale stood across the room, glaring right back at him. Gabriel smiled sweetly at him before turning to Sophie and stretched his arm out to her, asking, "Would you like to dance, my fair lady?"

Sophie rolled her eyes at him, but gracefully grabbed his hand. "Try to keep up, my dear,"

She led him into the crowd and turned around to face him. Sophie started to dance and Gabriel did too- or at least, he tried to. Sophie laughed at his sad attempts and just continued dancing.

In the crowd, people were either dancing vulgarly, carelessly, or not at all. Will was standing on the sides, watching Sophie and Gabriel with intense ferocity. Gabriel glanced over a few times, and smiled when he saw how mad he made Will. The song faded off, while the DJ made a quick announcement.

"I swear, if he puts on a slow song and this turns into a cliché, I'm gonna use his teeth as the scratching needle," Sophie hissed.

"Alright," the DJ said, drawing out the I. The next sentences he said were a blur, Gabriel could barely catch up with what he was saying. "Don't forget to choose your Ice King and Queen, down over by the door where the lovely Vanessa Kelly will be accepting your votes. Remember, anyone can win, just write down the name of the person you are voting for and hand it off to-", the DJ broke off before whispering, " _Vanessa Kelly_." He chuckled lightly before saying, "Alright, the next song is called The Other Side."

Gabriel looked back at Will and gave a little smirk.

"Gabriel, what are you looking at-" Sophie cut off as she followed his gaze. "Will? Is that why you asked me to dance? To mess with Will?"

"No, of course not. I asked to dance because I wanted to dance with you," Gabriel said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Making Will mad is just a bonus," he smirked.

"A _bonus_? Gabriel, I came out here to have fun, not to piss off my brothers,"

"We are having fun, calm down-"

"How can I calm down when I'm questioning every move you make. 'Is he doing this for me? Is he trying to mess with Will?' How can I be calm when I can't even tell if you're with me or if your mind is conjuring up more ways to annoy my brother?"

Gabriel grabbed Sophie's arm gently and pulled her aside against the hidden part of the gym, behind a couple of cardboard cutouts of snow hills.

"You need to calm down. You're freaking out over nothing,"

Sophie sighed, pushing her hair back out of her face. "I know. It's just, I hate that you and Will don't get along,"

Gabriel looked at Sophie silently; he was chewing his lip in thought. "Okay, I'll try to get along with Will," he whispered, grazing his fingers over her face. "For you,"

Sophie smiled, "Thank you,"

Gabriel leaned in and placed his lips lightly on hers, lingering over her. He took a deep breath before saying, "If I kiss you, there's no going back. There's no way we can carry on like nothing ever happened,"

"We weren't that close anyways," Sophie whispered, and she leaned up and crushed his lips with hers.

The kiss started off fast, both hungry for something they waited so long for. Gabriel's hands grabbed Sophie's head, securing her in place. Sophie wrapped her arms around Gabriel's waist, pulling him closer to her. The kiss was slowing down now, neither of them seeming in a hurry anymore. Gabriel rested his forehead against hers, sneaking one more kiss from her.

"Wanna leave?" he asked.

"And go where?" Sophie questioned.

"Anywhere,"

"Well," she panted. "Coffee?"

* * *

Gabriel and Sophie sat in a corner booth, cuddled up together, at Java's Circle.

"We probably look really weird," Sophie laughed.

"How?"

"We're dressed like we're attending a royal ball,"

"Maybe people will just see two gorgeous people, dressing more fabulous than they ever could," Gabriel concluded.

"Did you just call yourself gorgeous?"

"Am I wrong?"

"No," Sophie giggled, looking up to snatch a kiss. "You're 100% correct."

"So…" Gabriel whistled. "What are we?"

"I believe we are humans, but I think you just may be a secret son of Odin," Sophie joked.

"No," Gabriel chuckled, "I mean we as in our relationship. Are we..."

"Dating?"

"That's up to you,"

"Ehh, I don't like having that power," Sophie said.

Gabriel grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "We're dating," he smiled, kissing her forehead.

* * *

Sophie and Gabriel stood outside the door of Java's Circle.

"Ready?" Sophie asked.

"Wait, I can't find my phone," Gabriel said, his hands searching his tux's pockets.

"Did you leave it inside?" Sophie suggested.

"I don't know, let me go check," Gabriel said, running back inside.

Sophie stood by the door, a big smile and a blush rising up on her face.

"Excuse me," a voice said. "Do I know you? You look a bit familiar,"

Sophie turned around to see a man standing in front of her. He had dark brown hair, a little stubble around his red lips. His eyes were blue, and he had a few tattoos crawling up and down his left arm. He was wearing blue jeans, and a ripped black v-neck.

Sophie's eyes widen as she stepped back, her arms hugging her body defensively. "Teddy?"

"Sophie?" the man asked. "Is that you?"

"What are you doing here?" Sophie demanded. She winced as the memory of the incident played over in her head.

"Wow," Teddy said. "I thought I'd never see you again,"

"I had hoped the same," Sophie said, her voice wavering.

"Still don't know your place, huh?" Teddy sneered, towering over her. "Didn't you learn your lesson?"

Sophie reached up to touch the scar on her left cheek. Tears started pooling in her eyes. _Where is Gabriel?_

"Maybe I should teach you a little more," he hissed, his arms reaching out to grab her.

"No!" Sophie screamed, turning around to run into the café.

But he was too fast. He grabbed Sophie from behind, holding her arms down.

"HELP! GABRIEL!" Sophie screamed, kicking at Teddy, kicking everywhere, causing one of her heels to fall off and her phone to slip out of her dress pouch. "ANYONE, HELP ME! PLEAS-", she cried as Teddy clasped his hand over her mouth. He pulled her towards the street; over to wear a black car was parked against the curb. Sophie screamed again as he took his hand off her mouth temporarily to open the trunk, and then he threw her in it, slamming it shut afterwards. Sophie banged against the trunk door, screaming until her voice cracked with terror. Tears streamed down her face, black lines trailed all the way under her chin. Teddy pulled into the street with a screech, leaving black tire marks on the pavement.

* * *

"Sophie, I found my pho-", Gabriel cut off as he saw that Sophie wasn't there. "Sophie?"

He moved forwards and stepped on something hard. He looked down and saw a phone, next to a heel. Sophie's heel. Gabriel felt panic rising up in him, as he bent down to pick up the phone. It was Sophie's phone.

"Sophie? SOPHIE?!" Gabriel screamed, his eyes wide with fear. "Oh, God, no, please," he pleaded. He whirled around desperately, screaming Sophie's name over and over again.


	14. Frantic

Charlotte was standing by the main entrance of the gym, watching over the kids. She had instructed Henry to watch over the punch bowl, in case someone decided to spike it. She glanced quickly over to where Henry was, except he wasn't watching over the punch bowl, he was looking at some technical device. _Of course,_ Charlotte thought. Henry either had a device in his hands, or his mind was somewhere else. Sometimes both. Henry was special, Charlotte knew. She knew he had potential to invent great things. If only he could stay focus enough to accomplish them. Charlotte had vowed to help Henry, to protect him against the glares and judgment of others who try to diminish the spirit inside of him, whether they realize they did it or not. Charlotte loved her husband and she knew Henry loved her too, even if he wasn't great at showing it. Henry can be spontaneous when he wants to be and when he is, he is completely focus on Charlotte. A voice broke her out of her dazed moment.

"MRS. BRANWELL!"

Charlotte looked over to Gabriel hurrying towards. His tie was missing and his hair was disheveled, like he had run his hand through it many times. His hands were shaking and his eyes were wide. He looked around anxiously as if he were looking for something.

"Gabriel? What is it?" Charlotte asked when Gabriel had reached her. She turned to face him fully as a way of privacy.

Gabriel looked like he was about to throw up. His eyes were still wide, and up close Charlotte could see he was stricken with fear. This boy was beyond terrified.

"I am so sorry," Gabriel cried. "I can't find her, I can't! I just went in to get my phone and I wasn't even gone three minutes and when I came back she was gone and I found her heel and her phone on the ground and nobody around had seen her and I looked everywhere and I just couldn't-"

"Breathe, Gabriel," Charlotte cut in, grabbing his arm.

He pulled away as if he was afraid of Charlotte. Gabriel's voice hitched in his throat. His hands ran over his face as he turned around and paced quickly.

"Who can you not find?" Charlotte asked calmly.

Gabriel stopped pacing. He turned to Charlotte hesitantly, his fingers fumbling nervously.

"Sophie," he whispered.

Charlotte blanked for a few seconds before she fully comprehended the name Gabriel said. Sophie. Her Sophie, her strong, brave, troubled Sophie. She was gone. Charlotte reached for her chest as it pumped in fear of Sophie being hurt, or worse.

"What?" Charlotte croaked. "What do you mean you can't find her?!"

Charlotte's face was red and tears were already starting to pool in her brown eyes. She stepped towards Gabriel, he hands shaking by her sides.

Gabriel stepped back, his face drawn in horror as this small lady descended upon him with the intense fear as any sane mother worried about her child would act.

"I- I'm sorry," Gabriel stammered, his voice cracking.

"What. Happened?" Charlotte hissed between words.

"I-" Gabriel broke off with a sigh. "I don't know! We were leaving the café and I left my phone and I went in to get it and when I came back out she was gone! I found her heel and her phone on the ground, but not her" Gabriel gave Charlotte Sophie's heel and phone.

"We have to call the cops," Charlotte trembled.

* * *

The next few moments were a blur. Gabriel sat by the door while chaos swarmed around him. Charlotte was outside dealing with the police, Henry was next to his wife's side, assuring her calmly but Gabriel knew he was anything but. The students were whispering to each other, placing theories as to why the police were there. The music stopped playing and the gym lights had been turned on, a sign that the fun for tonight was over.

It was all his fault. He should've had his phone, he should've brought Sophie with him and not leave her by herself in the cold. Gabriel jumped up and ran through another set of double doors, away from all the voices and police lights. He escaped into the hallway and slammed himself into the lockers. He punched the lockers repeatedly until there was a dent in the locker and his fist was bleeding. But he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel the pain. He couldn't feel anything. Actually there were only two things he felt. Terror and hatred. He felt terrified for Sophie and he hated himself. If Sophie was killed or even hurt, Gabriel doesn't know how he would go on.

Gabriel straightened up. He realized nothing was going to get better if he just sat around. He turned around, only to be punched in the face and thrown back into the lockers.

"What the hell?!" Gabriel snapped, his eyes squinted as his nose throbbed in pain. He couldn't see the person clearly but he knew who it was as soon as he spoke.

"What have you done?!" Will roared, pinning Gabriel up against the lockers. He slammed him again, demanding, "Answer me!"

Gabriel tasted blood, which trickled down from his nose slowly. He didn't fight Will. He knew he had every reason to be mad. After all, it was Gabriel's fault.

"Will," a voice called, tight but calmly. "Let go of him."

"No, Jem! He did this! She's gone because of him!"

"Will, you know that it is not true,"

"Yes, it is!"

"Will-"

"It's true," Gabriel murmured. "I should've stayed with her."

"Gabriel," Jem spoke quietly. "You cannot blame yourself for this. Please, tell us what happened, every single detail. Will, let go."

Will glared at Gabriel before dropping him, back away to refrain from punching him again. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling hard.

Gabriel sunk down to the floor in exhaustion, his hands on the floor. Jem had crouched down beside Gabriel, his eyes shone with worry.

"Please, Gabriel,"

"I just went to get my phone," Gabriel cried. "I had left my phone inside and when I came back out she was just gone."

"This can't be happening again," Will muttered.

"What?" Gabriel asked, standing up to face Will. "Again? What do you mean again? This has happened before?"

Jem stood up as well, wiping his hands off his dress pants. "With her ex, Teddy," he nodded.

"I didn't…" Gabriel drifted off, "She never told me,"

"Why would she? Just because you guys suddenly hang out for some weird reason doesn't give you a reason to know her story. Besides, she doesn't like talking about it," Will fumed.

"You don't… You don't think he'd go after her again, do you?" Gabriel whispered.

"That's impossible, he's in jail," Jem answered.

"Are you sure? Maybe he got out," Gabriel suggested.

"No, he was sentenced to four years in jail," Jem stated. "And the… _incident_ happened two years ago."

"Well, is there some-"

"He's out…." Will hissed.

"What?" Jem asked, turning to look at Will.

"Teddy, he's out," Will repeated, showing Jem his phone. "He got released early for 'good behavior' and and bail money that his mom paid."

"'Good behavior' my ass," Jem sneered. "Bastard."

"Do you think, maybe, he took her?" Gabriel asked, and prayed to the Angel that he was wrong, for what he was about to say. "To finish what he started?"

"I will kill him," Will thundered.

"Is there an address?" Jem asked, grabbing Will's phone. "Got it,"

* * *

"Please, Teddy," Sophie whispered, her voice caught in the dust. "Let me go, I promise I won't say anything, I won't tell anyone, just please let me go."

They were in a dusty basement somewhere. It was not Teddy's old house; she knew it didn't have a basement. There were shelves on the walls, with jars and boxes on them. A staircase sat to the left side, the steps were weary and looked as if they would snap any moment. There were wooden posts in sections of the room, supporting the house, one of which Sophie was tied up to.

"I don't think so," Teddy spoke wickedly.

Sophie scratched at the rope that bonded her hands. "I didn't do anything," she cried.

"You ruined my life!" he roared.

"YOU RUINED ME!" she snapped.

"You think I care? You think anyone cares?" Teddy knelt down in front of Sophie, his hand reaching out to tuck away a piece of hair. He stroked her cheek slowly, suddenly grabbing her chin tightly to look at him as he said, "No one cares about you, Sophie. Never have, never will."

Sophie glared at him. She sat up straight and looked him in the eyes. "Liar," she hissed, spitting in his face.

Teddy wiped her saliva off his face. "Oh," he chuckled. "We're gonna have so much fun."


	15. Confident

"Uh, guys, shouldn't we contact the police?" Gabriel asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Will scoffed. "The police don't care, and besides, by the time they show up, he might've already done something to Sophie. We'll call them after I beat the hell out of Teddy."

They were on the way to the address that was in Teddy's probation information. Will was driving, like a maniac, Gabriel might add, while Jem sat next to him in the passenger seat giving directions. Gabriel sat in the back with nothing to do except pray they find Sophie.

"Just hurry," Gabriel muttered. He pulled his phone out of his pockets and scrolled through it till he found a number. He clicked it, pulling the phone up to his ear.

"Who are you calling?" Jem asked.

"My brother," Gabriel answered.

" _Hello?"_

"Gideon! Listen, I might be a little late, okay?"

" _Whatever, I don't care,"_

"What?" Gabriel asked. "What's your problem?"

Gabriel heard a ruffle on the other end of the line. _Probably doing homework._

" _Nothing, I'm fine. Are you still at the dance, with um, Sophie?"_

"No, I-I 'm on my way to save her,"

" _Save her? Save her from what?"_

"Long story short, she probably got kidnapped by her lunatic ex,"

" _What?! Are you serious?! When?!"_

"Look-"

" _When, Gabriel?"_

"About, I don't know, thirty minutes ago?"

" _And where the hell were you? Aren't you her- her date?"_

"We left the dance early and went to a café and when we were leaving, I left my phone inside and I went back in to get it. When I came out, she was gone. Her shoe was on the ground next to her phone so it's not like she just walked off and left me. Something happened to her and we think it might be her ex trying to get revenge,"

" _We? Who's we?"_

"Me, Will, and Jem,"

" _Please, like you and Will can get along for more than five minutes,"_

"When it comes to something this important, yeah, we can,"

" _Where are you guys? I wanna help,"_

"No, stay where you are! Please, it's okay, we got this, I'll call you after we find her,"

" _Gabriel-"_

Gabriel hung up before Gideon could finish his sentence. "How far are we?"

"Down the road," Jem replied. "Are you guys ready?"

"What's the plan?" Gabriel asked.

* * *

"What happened?" Teddy laughed. "Is your throat sore from all the screaming?"

"No," Sophie mumbled. "I'm just done being a victim,"

"Oh?"

"Especially to you," she spat.

"Oh," Teddy mocked emotion, his hands over his heart. "You think you're so tough, how sweet," he chuckled.

Sophie was done fighting. If this was it, if Teddy was meant to end her life, then so be it. She was done being weak and afraid. If, by some miracle, she survived, she would walk with pride and confidence in herself. How sad that it took a kidnapping by her abusive ex to remind Sophie of her worth. How sad that all it took was to just see his disgusting, pathetic face.

"You know what?" Sophie panted. "There's only one person weak here and that's you,"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! You are weak! You can't help anything about yourself and you have to go back to the one thing you've ever had control over!"

"What do you mean 'had'?" Teddy hissed. "I can do anything I want with you. Why? Because I still own you. Because you are nothing but a disturbance to the world. Because I am _NOT_ WEAK!"

Teddy slapped her across her face, where her scar rested. Sophie gasped. She stared at him as he walked away, up the stairs.

Sophie was not going to cry. She was terrified but she was not going to show Teddy that. She fidgeted with the ropes that bound her hands until she was able to slip one out. She quickly tied her other hand out and lazily wrapped the rope around both her hands so she could still get out with ease. She was not going to leave like a coward. She was going to teach him a lesson.

"Look what I found," Teddy sang. He emerged from the light and descended down the stairs. In his right hand he was holding an outfit. Not just any outfit, a maid outfit. And not just any maid outfit, but _her_ old maid outfit from Halloween. _When it happened_. She trembled when she saw it, backing up far into the wooden post as she possibly could.

"Let's bring back some memories, shall we?" He smirked, leaning down to level with Sophie. He reached down to grab her dress, and that's when Sophie took the opportunity.

She kicked him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Sophie scrambled up, moving to the shelves. Teddy got up quickly, staring at Sophie with an enraged look in his eyes.

"I don't think so," he fumed. He shot after Sophie, managing to grab her hair. He yanked her back against him, his other arm wrapped around her neck.

Sophie yelped as he pulled on her hair. She looked around and spotted a heavy crowbar in the on top of one of the shelves. He stomped on his foot with her one heel, and ran to the shelf. She grabbed the crowbar off and turned around, yielding it like a sword. At this moment she felt powerful, whether it was because of the adrenaline or her rise against her attacker, she was unsure of.

Teddy stood in front of her, frozen like a statue.

"Look who's in control now," Sophie laughed.

"I'll come back," he laughed. "And not only will I come after you, but that mess of a family of yours."

That is what broke Sophie. The fact that he was so desperate to hurt her that he would go after her family. The family that took her in and made her feel loved. The family that supported her and helped nurture her after this happened the first time. The family that gave everything to protect her. The family that she would give everything to protect.

Sophie raised the crowbar, and with all her strength, brought it down onto Teddy. He cried in pain, kneeling to the ground. In her moment of weakness, she pounded him with the crowbar over and over and over until she was interrupted by a reassuring voice and a pair of arms wrapping her body.

"Sophie, it's okay, it's over. You can stop now," the voice said.

It was Gabriel. Somehow, he'd managed to find her. Her eyes could not leave Teddy's body, bloody and bent in discerning ways. Will and Jem were there too, grabbing Teddy and tying him against the wooden post.

"I-" Sophie broke off with a sob. Tears started pouring out of her eyes, and Gabriel held her tight from behind, kissing the back of her head.

Sophie promised herself she wouldn't cry but here she is, crying. But it was okay. She wasn't crying because of Teddy or lack of belief in herself. She was crying because she saw Will and Jem and was reminded how much she loved them and how they were almost put into danger. They looked at Sophie with relief in their eyes.

Sophie shot forward and hugged them both, leaving Gabriel behind. She held onto them tight as she sobbed into Will's chest, her makeup staining his white shirt. Jem reached around Sophie, stroking her hair.

Gabriel stood watching, feeling out of place. He wasn't hurt by Sophie running to Will and Jem. He understood that she wanted her brothers, who had been here the first time around. Gabriel decided to be to use and called Charlotte, and then the cops.

As he put his phone into his pocket, he looked at Sophie, relief flooding his body. She was hurt, and broken, and this time he would be there to pick up the pieces.

* * *

Charlotte and the police arrived, and the neighbors were now crowding behind the crime scene tape.

Charlotte and Henry were hugging Sophie, Will and Jem stood behind them, and the EMTs were loading Teddy onto the back of the ambulance.

Gabriel waited outside the border. Gideon was on his way to pick him up. Will, surprisingly, had offered to give him a ride, but Gabriel politely declined it. He thought they should all go home and rest. He looked over at Sophie, but straightened himself when he saw her walking towards him.

"Hey," Sophie said.

"Hey,"

Gabriel took this chance to really look at Sophie. Her dress was wrinkled and there was a big tear in it. Makeup was running down her face and she had a big, red mark on the left side of her face. She had bruises up and down her arms, but other than all that, she seemed okay. She was wrapped in a big, gray blanket and was looking up at him. _Awkward silence,_ Gabriel thought. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap," Sophie sighed. "But I'll live. Thank you for coming to find me."

"I didn't do anything. It was all Will and Jem. I didn't even know about that- that _monster_ ," Gabriel spat.

"I'm sorry," Sophie whispered.

"For what?"

"For getting you caught up in this mess,"

Gabriel reached out to pull a piece of stray hair behind her ear, resting his hand against her cheek. "You didn't get me 'caught up in this mess.' I got caught up in you," he whispered.

"Smooth," Sophie giggled.

Gabriel smiled at Sophie, his heart pounding in his chest. He leaned in slowly, his hands wrapping around her waist. He knows he shouldn't be kissing her, she had been through a hell of a trauma but he just couldn't help himself. Their lips were inches apar-

"Gabriel, are you ready?"

 _Damn it, Gideon._ Gabriel pulled back, turning around to stare daggers into Gideon.

"Sophie, are you okay?" Gideon asked, reaching the border.

"I'm fine, thank you Gideon," she answered.

Sophie looked over her shoulder to see her family waiting for her.

"Well, I better go," Sophie said. She reached up and kissed Gabriel on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, before walking off.

Gabriel stared after her. He heard Gideon talking to him but his mind wasn't focused on his brother, it was focused on the girl who had his heart.


	16. New and Improved

"Hey honey, are you hungry?" Charlotte asked, peering around the doorway.

It had been a few days since Teddy and everyone was walking on eggshells around Sophie. They took caution to her, jumping to help her with every move. Which wasn't bad. Sure, she would like some space every now and then but to her it just proved how much her family cares for her. Even Jessie showed how valuable Sophie was to her. They each showed Sophie love and care in their own ways. Henry sacrificed his time on working in the basement to watch movies or do puzzles with her. Cecily did Sophie's nails and they had a girl's day. Charlotte cooked whatever Sophie was in the mood for, willing to go out and get whatever they need if they didn't have it. Jem played his violin for Sophie, which was precious because Jem doesn't play his violin for just anybody. Jessie was still Jessie, but less bitchy and critical, which Sophie was thankful for. Will slept in Sophie's room with her. He slept on the floor and when Sophie would wake up in the middle of the night crying from a nightmare, Will was by her side instantly. Everyone was protective of her but Will was even more so. It was as if it were his nature, something he was born with and that defined him.

"No, I'm good," Sophie laughed, closing her book.

Charlotte walked in slowly, quietly close the door behind her. She strolled over to Sophie's bed, and sat down on the end of it. Sophie sat up and scooted closer to Charlotte.

"Are you ready to go back to school tomorrow?"

Sophie let out a long sigh, tossing her book aside. "It's school… Am I supposed to be ready?"

"Of course, it's your education," Charlotte laughed.

"Whoopee," Sophie joked, wave her finger in a circular motion.

"Oh, c'mon. You'll get to see Gabriel," she smiled.

At that Sophie blushed. She hadn't seen Gabriel since that night but they still talked. On the phone, on text, on Skype. Gabriel was….different. He made her laugh. He wasn't scared to talk to her about what happened. He wasn't constantly bombarding her with concerns. He wasn't careful with his words (as far as she could tell). And the more time she spent away from him the more she thought about him. She wasn't sure how they would be now, especially at school. Somehow, word had gotten out about what happened, but Sophie hasn't heard any comment regarding it, either as empathy or enjoyment. What if people looked at them badly? What if people refused to talk to her or even look at her, or even worse… what if they do that to Gabriel? Sophie wasn't sure about any of those, but one thing she was sure about was how much she missed him.

"Yeah, I guess," Sophie stuttered.

Charlotte laughed at her, standing up against the bed. "It'll all be okay, love," she whispered, kissing Sophie lightly on her forehead. "You should probably get some sleep," she said as she walked out of the room, turning the light off on the way.

Sophie leaned over and turned her lamp off. She laid back down with a heavy sigh, as closed her eyes, willing sleep to take over her.

* * *

Sophie hopped out of the car, looking up at the school before her. Will had drove her, along with Jem and Jessie. Cecily had went with Charlotte earlier in the morning, hoping to a word in with some teacher before school started. St. Jonathan's stood tall, looking more like a fortress or castle rather than a public school. But that was just the outside, on the inside it was huge, with enough classrooms and hallways to provide shelter for all of London it seemed. Of course, that probably wasn't true. Its walls were now an off-white kind of color, its age becoming more prominent now.

"Ready to go, babe?" Jem asked, using his personal nickname for her.

Sophie nodded, pulling her bag tightly over her shoulder. She fumbled with the strap, pulling on it and twisting it around her fingers. That was a habit, messing with anything she had in her hands when she was nervous. And right now she was very nervous.

Will walked around to Sophie's side, sort of like a bodyguard, and led her to the steps that trailed to the front doors. Sophie felt different this time around. This time she knew it wasn't her. Nothing was her fault, nothing she did made Teddy attack her in any way, verbally or physically. It was his fault. He wasn't right. _He was the one that was messed up, not me,_ Sophie thought. With this new profound truth, Sophie walked with confidence in her steps.

_Beep beep._

Sophie slowly halted to a stop, pulling her phone out. She looked at the name that popped up on her screen, smiling from ear to ear. Gabriel.

_Meet me in Mr. Clarison's classroom ;)_

"You okay?" Will asked. As Sophie looked up she noticed Jessie and Jem were gone.

"Yeah, I just need to… uhm.." Sophie stammered, thinking of a reason that Will would find plausible.

"See Gabriel?" he asked, leaning over to catch her eyes. Upon seeing her smile he said, "Go, be with that disgraceful idiot."

"Stop, Will," she laughed, jogging up the stairs. Midway she stopped and turned around, running back towards Will. She hugged him tightly, whispering to him, "Thank you…. For everything,"

Sophie ran inside, taking only a moment to notice the stares around her. She smiled, as brightly as she could, before strutting down the hall towards Mr. Clarison's room. When she entered the classroom, she noticed a silhouette against the light shining from the windows.

"Gabriel?" Sophie breathed, shutting the door.

The figure turned around, giving Sophie a glimpse of the face she had been longing to see.

"Sophie," he whispered.

They both reached for each other, holding the other in their arms. Gabriel kissed the top of Sophie's head, his endearing touch that Sophie absolutely loved. Sophie closed her eyes as she breathed in the smell of him, resting her head against his chest.

"I missed you so much," Gabriel said.

"I missed you too," she replied.

Gabriel pulled away slightly, lowering his head to plant a light kiss onto Sophie. As soon as they touched he let out a sigh against her lips, moving his hands into her hair. They were simple right now. All they wanted in this moment was each other and that's what they had.

Sophie stopped momentarily, a little out of breath. "This might be the wrong time to ask, but.." she paused to take in air. "How much work do I have to catch up on?"

Gabriel laughed, stepping back and kissing Sophie's nose. "You're such a nerd,"


	17. Once Upon a Time

The wind picked up as Gabriel walked, swirling stray leaves around on the sidewalk. He glanced up, spotting a brief blur of a dog running in the nearby park. He chuckled when he saw that the dog's owner was running after him. He quickened his pace, eager to move along. He was heading to an ice cream shop, where Sophie was waiting for him.

His beloved Sophie. His strong, his beautiful Sophie. Gabriel admits that ever since the kidnapping by her ex, he had been only a little protective. Whenever someone got close to Sophie, especially someone questionable, he couldn't help but wrap his arm around her, clinging her to himself. He really had no reason to do so, but he didn't know about Teddy, and Sophie rarely told him about her close peers or anyone in her past, so how could be sure of anything?

Gabriel's heart skipped as he neared the ice cream shop. He stopped in front of the window, his eyes skimming for Sophie. His breathe caught as he saw her, sitting in one of the glittery blue booths- but he saw that she wasn't alone. There was another man sitting beside her, wearing a gray hoodie and black pants. Sophie smiled at something the man said, and bumped into his shoulder in a playful way. The man was relatively handsome, Gabriel supposed. His hair was a dark brown, and it stood slicking up. His eyes were a light brown, but leaded with some depression that even from this distance Gabriel could see. He suddenly looked serious as he checked his watch, telling Sophie something inaudible to Gabriel. Sophie nodded in understanding, and they both stood up out of the booth. The man reached his arm around Sophie, holding her tightly. Gabriel slumped against the window frame as he saw Sophie do the same. The man placed his chin against the top of Sophie's head, his eyes fluttering shut. Sophie pulled away, laughing to draw away concern from her tears. Gabriel's fists clenched at his side, willing his anger not to get the best of him. The man squeezed her hand before walking away. On his way out the door, he bumped into Gabriel.

"Oi, sorry mate," he said, turning to look at Gabriel.

Gabriel put his fists into his pockets, resisting the urge to hit the strange man. "It's cool," he gritted through his teeth.

"Have a good day," the man nodded, hurrying off across the street.

Gabriel pulled the door open and was met with a swift of cold air. He ignored the coldness and walked over to where Sophie was. When Sophie saw him, she leapt up, jumping into his arms. Gabriel's anger melted away as he breathed in the familiar smell of her.

"I missed you," Sophie whinned.

"I saw you yesterday," Gabriel smiled.

"I know but still," she groaned.

Gabriel sat in the booth across her. His eyes lingered over her but his thoughts weren't on her. He was still wondering who the man was.

"Hey, Soph?"

"Mhmm?" Sophie mumbled, her mouth full of ice cream.

"Who was that man? I saw you guys through the window," he said. "I mean, I wasn't stalking or anything, I just noticed him and we bumped into each other outside."

"Oh!" Sophie nodded, "That was Cyril," she said, as if Gabriel would understand who Cyril was.

"Yeah?" Gabriel willed on.

"Remember Thomas?" she asked, licking ice cream off her finger.

Gabriel pondered for a minute. He couldn't recall anyone he knew personally named Thomas. He shook his head.

"Well," she said. "Would you like the short version, the detailed version, or the bedtime story version?"

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. "Surprise me," he said, leaning back.

"Bedtime story!" Sophie giggled. "Once upon a time there was a princess named Princess Sophia-"

"Why a princess?" Gabriel interrupted.

"Because I'm royalty," she interjected, tossing her hair back and striking a shoulder pose. "Now, interrupt me again and you, peasant, will give me no choice but to perform an execution upon your rude, smelly body,"

"To the point," Gabriel grinned. "I like it."

"Princess Sophia was not well liked amongst her fellow royal mates," Sophie continued. "One day, a boy named Prince Thomas came by, reading a comic book,"

"Did the royals even have comic books?"

"It's my story, now hush! The princess and prince hit it off quickly, becoming marvelous and dependable best friends. They stood with each other through everything, they rarely left each other sides', and they were all the entertainment that the other needed. Until a drastic, awful day came when the prince's father found wealth in a whole other land called America! In order to pursue the money, Prince Thomas' father moved all of them over to what was known as the Angels' City. Princess Sophia was devastated, as was Prince Thomas. One moment they were happy together, reading comic books and throwing peanut shells at the bitches of the school- the 'cool kids', and then the next moment everything was gone. Sophia could barely lift her head at others, for the source of her strength and confidence was gone…."

Gabriel's arms fell down by his sides as he sympathized with Princess Sophia.

"Princess Sophia had grown rather close with Prince Thomas' family. She simply adored Thomas' older brother, Prince Cyril. The three of them were close, but Sophia's and Thomas' bond were like iron."

Gabriel felt a rush of relief. "If they moved away, then what was Prince Cyril doing here, in London?"

"Ahh," Sophie sighed. "You ask many questions, Son of Wood Alighted,"

"Really? Son of Wood Alighted? What's wrong with saying Lightwood? It sounds like a name worthy of a title,"

"Do not fret, commoner," Sophie said, waving her hands. "Prince Cyril had to help his uncle arrange some of the shipping procedures regarding their properties. You didn't think King Tanner would go to a strange place with nothing of his own value, did you?"

"You are weird," Gabriel retorted.

"True, but alas, it is what you love about me,"

"So… I'm guessing there's no happily ever after to this story?"

"Well…" Sophie said, sliding out of her own booth and into Gabriel's. "There was no happily ever after for Prince Thomas and Princess Sophia together," she slipped herself under Gabriel's arm, looking up at him with her bright, beautiful eyes. "But they are both very much happy with their story, Princess Sophia more so because she found her Prince Charming,"

Gabriel grinned down at Sophie, failing to suppress the blush he knew was forming on his face. "You are driving me wild, Princess Sophia," he whispered, pressing his lips against hers.

Sophie smiled against him, feeling her heart skip. She pulled away slightly, their noses still touching. "I know I just ate ice cream-"

"Without me, I might add,"

"In my defense, you took _forever_!"

"Whatever," Gabriel joked.

"But," Sophie continued. "I'm hungry,"

"Girl,"

Sophie pulled back, laughing at Gabriel. "How about you come over for dinner?"

"With your family?"

"Yeah, that way I can properly introduce you,"

"You mean the family that hates me for letting you out of my sights, allowing Teddy to grab you off the streets?"

"They don't hate you,"

"Will," Gabriel reminded Sophie.

"Okay, they don't _all_ hate you,"

"I don't know," Gabriel said.

"Please?" Sophie begged, wrapping her arms around his.

Gabriel looked up, thinking of an excuse to get out easily.

"Babe,"

Now Gabriel just couldn't say no.

"Fine," he said.

"Yay!" Sophie giggled, clapping.

"But! On one condition," Gabriel pointed, poking the tip of Sophie's nose.

"And that would be?"

"You have to come over for dinner at the Lightwood Manor,"

"What?" Sophie said. "You mean with your family? The family that hates me for taking so much of your time?"

"They don't hate you," Gabriel mocked, going along with Sophie.

"Uhh, your dad and Tatiana?" Sophie said.

"Okay, they don't _all_ hate you," he joked, wrapping his arm around Sophie.

"Deal," Sophie smiled, leaning into the comfort and familiarity of Gabriel.


	18. Welcomed

The house that stood in front of them shone brightly. It seemed as if every light, inside and out, were on. The front porch was wide, inhabited by a porch swing, a couple of chairs, and a few plants.

"Are you sure about this?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, Gabriel," Sophie laughed. She jogged up the driveway, pausing to pick up a basketball that lay on the grass. She lifted her arms, and jumped slightly, throwing the basketball mid-air into the hoop that was placed above the garage. She didn't make it.

"You suck," Gabriel laughed.

Sophie stuck her tongue out at Gabriel and rolled the basketball back onto the grass. As Gabriel reached her, she looped her arm with his, guiding him to the porch.

"I already texted Charlotte and informed her that you're eating with us. She said it was okay. Now, a few pointers. Don't talk about Lady Gaga, Barney, the Revolutionary War, Potato Snowmen, matte lipstick, and most importantly, ducks. Do NOT talk about ducks. Charlotte will most likely pound you with questions, so be calm and answer them honestly. She _will_ know if you're lying. Henry won't be paying attention much but occasionally he might try to coax you into being a volunteer for an experiment. Say no. Jessie and Cecily are pretty laidback, as well as Jem, but their dinner behaviors are on and off. And the most important one, do not, I repeat, _do not_ fight with Will. Don't give sarcastic comments, don't run your mouth off, don't piss him off in any way, whether intentionally or not. Understand?"

"I can't talk about matte lipstick?" Gabriel questioned. "Damn it and I was just going to introduce my new line of matte lipstick to your family."

Sophie rolled her eyes, bumping into Gabriel in that playful way of theirs. They reached the front door, and Sophie pulled Gabriel before he had a chance to enter.

"I'm serious, don't fight with Will."

"I'll try not to, baby,"

"Okay," Sophie breathed. "Let's go!"

Gabriel was met with a burst of different smells and loud noises. There was music coming from the kitchen, and Charlotte was singing while stirring something in a pot. Cheering was coming from the living room where a soccer game was on, and Will and Henry were yelling at the T.V. Jessamine and Cecily sat on a nearby breakfast table, weirdly farthest from the kitchen. Jem was at the dining table, setting the plates and utensils into place.

His house wasn't like this. His house was organized and sleek and quiet and cold. His house was a house. This was a home.

"Sophie's here!" Cecily announced, pulling a card from the hold in her hands and placing it into the center of the table.

"Hey!" Charlotte exclaimed, turning her music down. "Come on in, Gabriel!"

"Hi Mrs. Branwell," Gabriel said, rubbing his arm nervously.

Sophie led him towards the kitchen, and then sat in one of the barstools at the counter. She reached around Gabriel's waist as he stood next to her.

"How are you?"

"I'm good, Mrs. Branwell," Gabriel laughed, still shocked at how different they lived. "How are you?"

"Can't complain," she said, sipping wine from her glass. "Would you like some?"

Gabriel opted to say yes when he realized she was talking about the wine but before he could, Sophie chimed in.

"Charlotte! He can't drink, he's underage!"

"Oh, please," she laughed. "It's not like his father is here, and I _am_ a responsible adult. Speaking of your father how is he?"

"Still a cold- hearted bastard, if that's what you mean," Gabriel said. “And just water will be fine.”

"Old habits die hard, I guess," Charlotte said, pouring water into a glass cup.

"I'll drink to that," he said, taking the cup and drinking from it.

"You are just gonna be trouble for me, aren't you, Mr. Lightwood?" Sophie laughed, pulling away.

Gabriel reached his arm around her and pulled her closer against him, not wanting to lose her touch.

"Oh, no! It seems we've been infected with rodents!" A voice behind them said. "Quickly, Charlotte, call the exterminator! And Sophie, the rodent's on you!

Gabriel set his water down, bracing himself. He turned around to see Will standing on the couch. "Very funny, William,"

"I thought so too," Will smirked, stepping over the back of the couch. He walked up to Gabriel, facing him with his arms crossed. "If you're not here to feast on our cheese then what, may I ask, are you doing here?"

"He's here for dinner," Sophie interjected. "And play nice, Will."

"That's right. Gabriel is our guest, and we treat him with respect," Charlotte said, stirring the pot.

"In that case," Will pulled back, mouth opened, ready to burst out with-

"Do not sing Be Our Guest," Sophie said.

"How did you know?"

"I know you, Will!"

"Well, why can't I sing? It's very fitting for this occasion,"

"You have a horrible singing voice," Sophie cringed. "You sound like a dubstep remix of Jessie talking and a garbage disposal."

"Hm, nicely put, but not at all true," Will said.

He was greeted with a chorus of agreement- even Henry had stopped to concur with Sophie.

Will gasped dramatically, his hand shooting to his chest. "Betrayers,"

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes!" Charlotte shouted.

"Gabriel, do you like sports?" Henry asked.

"Yes sir. I play quarterback on our football team," Gabriel replied.

"That's wack," he said, earning himself groans from the teenagers. "What? I can be hip like you guys!"

"Stop, just stop,"

"You're so embarrassing,"

"Who in the hell says wack?"

"Don't do that, ever again," Sophie whined.

"Hey, how's your project coming?" Henry asked, pointing between Sophie and Gabriel.

"Finished," Sophie said, standing up from the barstool.

"Already?"

"That's what happens when you have an eager nerd like this one as your partner," Gabriel laughed, pulling Sophie into a hug.

"Gabriel, what would you like to drink?" said a voice from the kitchen. Jem.

Gabriel turned around and held up his glass of water. "I'm good, thanks."

“Will, help Jem with the drinks," Charlotte said.

Will let out a whine, stomping away like a child that was told no.

Gabriel laughed at Will, straightening at the satisfaction of Will's misery.

"Gabriel."

Gabriel looked to his left to see Jessamine standing next to him.

"Yes?"

"How is your sister?"

"Tatiana?"

"Mhm. Still a bitch?"

"Jessie!" Sophie gasped.

"No, it's okay," Gabriel reassured. "I mean, it takes one to know one, right?"

"OHH! BURN!" Will laughed, pointing at Gabriel. "That was a good one,"

"Charlotte! He just called me a bitch!"

"You called his sister a bitch. Don't be a critic if you can't take criticism,"

"I wish I had a bitch," Henry murmured.

Everyone's head shot towards Henry, and some were looking between him and Charlotte.

"I assume you're talking about a dog, correct?"

Everyone relaxed as they realized Henry was still his absent-minded, peculiar self.

"Henry, no one refers to a dog by bitch anymore. Bitch is now an insulting term," Cecily informed.

"Okay," Charlotte interrupted, clapping her hands. "Dinner is ready!"

Everyone gathered at the dinner table, each sitting in their familiar seat, loss in repetition. Henry sat at the head of the table, while Charlotte was on his left. Next to Charlotte sat Cecily, and then Jessie. Gabriel sat on Henry's right and Sophie's left. Will was placed between Sophie and Jem, upset that he was just even a little farther than he usually was.

Charlotte had made, oddly, chicken and dumplings. Gabriel didn't have chicken and dumplings often. Then again, Gabriel didn't do most of what the Branwell - is that even what he should call them?—family did. They interested him with their eccentricity, although they might think of themselves as normal. Is there really any "normal" when it comes to families?

As Gabriel looked around, studying each member at the table, he began to feel happy. He began to feel welcomed. Many of Father's "friends" or "colleagues" never made Gabriel feel welcome or even acknowledged. And Father was the same way with others, Gabriel realized. Now he was terrified. Should he bring Sophie to his house for dinner? Father will most likely ignore her, or make a not-so-subtle comment regarding her societal place. And Tatiana would just pick on her, as he just recently learned she does at school sometimes. He'd confront Tatiana about it but with Father there, she might feel comfortable enough to make rude remarks, maybe try to stimulate a reaction out of Sophie. Gideon was kind to Sophie, at least, and he liked her, the way any brother would towards the girl that makes his brother happy. Maybe Gideon can help Gabriel defend Sophie if anything were to happen with Father or Tatiana. But, Gabriel thought, we'll cross the bridge when we get to it.

"Gabriel first, since he is our guest," Charlotte said, holding the spoon out to Gabriel.

Gabriel thanked Charlotte, grabbing the spoon from her hand. He scooped two full times, dumping the food into his bowl. He handed the spoon to Sophie, only to find her staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"Wha-?" Gabriel trailed off as he noticed that everyone else was staring at him with equally confused expressions. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah, it's called ugliness-" Will cut off with a wince of pain as Jem elbowed him.

"No, it's just… Is that all you're going to eat?" Sophie asked.

"Well, I might want more when I'm finished," Gabriel replied.

"Oh well, more for Jem. After all, it is his favorite," Will said, grabbing Jem's bowl and reaching over Sophie. He grabbed the spoon from Sophie and filled the bowl almost to the top, then placed it carefully in front of Jem.

"Thank you, Will" Jem said, already digging into his dinner.

Gabriel, despite feeling welcomed, was still nervous. Gabriel bounced his leg, putting his nerves to work in an effort to calm down. Sophie placed her hand on his thigh to comfort him.

"You're doing fine," she whispered.

Everyone else had already gotten their share of chicken and dumplings, and was talking through mouthfuls of it.

"It's good, Mrs. Branwell," Gabriel said. "Thank you for having me over,"

"We're so happy you're here! Sophie talks a lot of good about you,"

"And Will talks a lot about you too," Cecily stated. "Did you date him as well?"

"I'd rather kiss a duck than ever have to shake his hand," Will said around a piece of chicken.

Gabriel glared at Will from over Sophie's head, hoping that somehow he would get laser vision.

"I heard your brother came back from Spain a couple of months ago. How is he?" Henry asked.

"He's good, I guess. He wishes he could go back yet he still stays. I don't know why," Gabriel shrugged.

"Maybe he missed his family?" Charlotte suggested.

"If you know my family, you know that a day spent with Hitler would be more preferable,"

"Gabriel," Charlotte said, stifling a laugh. "Not funny,"

"I would like to meet your brother," Henry said. "I've heard some things about him, he likes science, I heard?"

"Yeah, but more astronomical science," Gabriel informed. "And math and economical stuff. But, funnily enough, he absolutely detests politics."

"Is he in college? I don't think I see him at the school," Henry said.

"He doesn't go to our school but he doesn't go to college either. He's taking a year off," Gabriel sighed.

"Maybe one day we can invite your whole family over for dinner," Charlotte said.

Gabriel nearly laughed at the idea of his father at this table, eating chicken and dumplings and actually tolerating Charlotte. And putting Jessamine and Tatiana in a room together? That would be suicidal. Jessamine and Tatiana were good friends, best friends even. But something happened recently that no one knows of and they just avoid each other as much as they can. Jessamine had even managed to get a whole different schedule just so she wouldn't be in the same class as Tatiana.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Gabriel said.

"You don't think they would like us?" Cecily asked.

"I don't think they're deserving of such kindness," he answered.

* * *

 

Dinner was longer than a week's worth at Gabriel's house. Everyone had gone through two bowls, Will and Sophie managed to eat three somehow. Gabriel was offered to stay for dessert but it was already getting pretty late and Father would be furious. He left him a text informing him that he would be having dinner at Sophie's house earlier. No doubt Father would bombard him with questions when Gabriel got home. As much as he wanted to miss out on precious time with his father, and stay with Sophie instead, he feared that the longer he stayed the more reasons his father would have against him visiting the Branwell home.

Sophie walked Gabriel to his car parked by the mail box, their arms linked again.

"So?" she asked as they reached his door.

"So?"

"How was it?" Sophie laughed. "Did you like them?"

"I loved them," Gabriel said. He wrapped himself around Sophie, engulfing her in his arms.

"Yay," Sophie giggled. "Now I get to meet your family! Well, get to know them more, technically, since I've already met them,"

"Are you sure you want to? They aren't nearly as nice as your family, in fact Will is like Jem compared to them."

"I'm sure," she smiled, reaching up to place her lips on his.

Gabriel melted into her. She had the ability to drown out Gabriel's senses, and while that was intoxicating, it was also dangerous. Gabriel pulled back before he even had the chance to feel tempted to stay.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"See you tomorrow," she smiled.


	19. Scared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOW I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A WHILE BUT IT WAS SO GREAT TO WRITE AGAIN!!!! Let me know what you think!

The sun was setting, faster than it normally did, it seemed. Sophie’s heart was pounding more and more the closer they got to Gabriel’s house. _No, not house. Mansion._

“Gabriel, I’m not sure about this anymore,” Sophie said, her eyes watching a passing tree.

“This was the deal,” said Gabriel, moving his hand to Sophie’s knee. It was reassuring, but barely calmed her.

“I know, but my family is nice. Well, save for Will and Jessie. But yours…” Sophie’s eyebrows furrowed, and she grabbed Gabriel’s hand tightly. “How do I put this nicely? Your family, they’re not very, um, considerate? No, I’m sorry. They’re-“

“Awful, I know,” Gabriel laughed. “Believe me, I know. But you can’t avoid them. That only strengthens their idea of ‘being superior.’ I can’t promise that they’re going to be as nice as Charlotte and Jem and Henry. But I will be there; I will make sure that they don’t step out of line. The only thing I ask is that you stick up for yourself. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, they surely won’t be afraid to speak theirs,”

Sophie let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Okay,” she smiled.

“It’s really just my father and Tatiana. Gideon’s okay,”

“I think Gideon is the odd one of the bunch, given his nature,” Sophie joked.

“What about me?” Gabriel asked, feigning offense.

“Gabriel, when you and I met, you weren’t exactly the most respectful person,” Sophie said, her eyebrows raised.

Gabriel scoffed, rolling his eyes. “True, but I’m better now,”

“Much, much better,” Sophie said, leaning over and kissing Gabriel’s cheek.

Gabriel pulled into the driveway, and parked the car. As soon as his seatbelt was off he turned to Sophie, and pulled her towards him and kissed her. He supported the back of her head as he continued to kiss her. He drew back slowly and smiled at her, stroking her cheek.

“What if we just make out instead?” Sophie asked, her eyes on Gabriel’s lips.

“As much as I love that idea, I already told them we’d be here,” he replied. He leaned in for a quick kiss before getting out of the car.

Sophie took in a deep breath. She was nervous. _That’s an understatement_ , Sophie thought. She could do this. What’s the worst that could happen? They belittle her? She can handle that. They outright criticize her? She can handle that. His father forbids Gabriel from seeing her? _I don’t think I can handle that…_

Sophie got out of the car and walked around to Gabriel.  As she neared him he held his hand out for her. She grabbed it hesitantly. They walked up to the front door, pausing before it.

“Ready?” Gabriel asked.

Sophie nodded, squeezing Gabriel’s hand tightly. _I can do this._

Gabriel opened the door and they stepped inside into the foyer.

She’s not sure what she was expecting but it wasn’t this. It was eerily quiet. There was no noise at all. No music, no T.V, no clashing of dishes. Nothing to indicate that anyone was here at all. The only sign that this house was habited were the lights that were on. Every single light was on, in fact. Every hallway light, ceiling light, and lamp were on. _What darkness are you trying to outrun?_

“Hey,” Gabriel called out. “We’re here.”

“Over here,” someone said from the dining room.

They ventured into dining room, stopping a few feet away from the table. Everyone was already there, waiting for her and Gabriel. Gabriel’s father sat at the head of the table by the window, his hands crossed on the table. Tatiana sat on his right, with Gideon sitting next to her.

“Hey,” Gabriel said. “This is Sophie, my girlfriend,”

Sophie’s heart leapt at the words. _My girlfriend._

“You’ve already met her but not as my girlfriend, so,” he said awkwardly. “Sophie, you know Gideon and Tatiana. And this is my dad, Benedict.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sophie said. “Again,”

Benedict nodded slightly, annoyance clearly written on his face.

“Take your time enjoying this dinner. This might be the only time you experience such luxury,” Tatiana spat.

“Watch it, Tatiana,” Gabriel warned, pulling the chair out for Sophie. He took the seat next to his father, thankfully.

Sophie looked at the food on the table. It was quite a spread. There was chicken, salmon, shrimp, asparagus, baked potatoes, salad, and a bowl curiously filled with what looked like small black orbs.

“This looks delicious,” Sophie said. “Did you make all of this, Mr. Lightwood?”

“Of course not,” Benedict laughed. “I don’t have the time nor the patience for it. My chef made it.”

“You have a chef?”

“Yes. You’ll find that wealthy people tend to have those,” he said. “Not that you would understand.”

“Okay! Let’s dig in, shall we?” Gideon interjected.

She hasn’t even been here for five minutes and she’s already close to running out the door. She turned her head to find Gabriel looking at her, his eyebrows drawn up in concern. She gave him a short nod and smiled.

Everyone quickly made their plate, starting with the smallest bits.

“Gabriel, how’s your football practice been going?” Benedict asked.

“Well-“

“Never mind. You wouldn’t know, would you? Because according to your coach, you haven’t been showing up much,”

Gabriel sunk into his chair, sighing deeply before eating another piece of chicken.

“What is going on with you? You used to be punctual about football. This is your future. You’re going to throw it all away- and for what? Her?”

“Dad, I’m not wasting away. We win our games, don’t we? And Sophie has nothing to do with it,”

“No? As I recall, when I first met her you guys were working on a project, right? You had practice that evening and you missed it. That was the first time you’ve ever missed one,”

“Gabriel? Is that true?” Sophie asked. She didn’t want Gabriel to miss his practices because of her. Why would he do that?

“No. Well, yes but it’s not your fault,” Gabriel defended.

“I can’t believe you had the audacity to bring her here, yet alone date her,” Tatiana said, jamming her fork into her salad.

“Tatiana-“ Gideon and Gabriel started.

“What’s that suppose to mean, Tatiana?” Sophie interrupted.

“Oh, please. You truly must be fooling yourself if you believe you can be here with us, _like_ us. I don’t know what kind of trick you’ve played to get my brother, most likely putting out like a little slut, but if you were smart like everyone claims you are, then you would leave, now,”

“I haven’t done anything to ‘trick’ your brother,”

“You expect me to believe that he likes you for you? I know my brother. Do you? Do you know the kind of girls he dates?  You know Taylor, right? He used to date her,”

She did know Taylor. Taylor was one of Jessamine’s friends. She had the reputation of being the school whore, sleeping with half of the guys in the school. And St. Jonathan’s was a big school. But Gabriel dated her? It made her uncomfortable in every way but it wasn’t her business. It was before he met her. Their relationship shouldn’t be compared to their past relationships. Gabriel certainly wasn’t like Teddy.

“Tatiana, stop,” Gabriel pleaded. “Sophie, I assure you, nothing happened between me and Taylor. Our relationship, if you can even call it that, meant nothing.”

“Really? Then why did I see you guys together at Rosetta’s the other day?”

“I was there on my own,” Gabriel gritted between clenched teeth. “She came into my booth and started talking to me. I left. If you saw us there, then you saw me leave almost immediately. Stop trying to sabotage my relationship with Sophie.”

Sophie smiled at Gabriel. She was lucky to have him. Here he was, defending her against his family. Defending _himself_ against his family. She was proud of him for doing so. She looked up to see Gideon smiling at him too.

“Whatever,” Tatiana rolled her eyes.

Gideon cleared his throat. “Oh yeah, Tatiana, I found a pregnancy test in the trash this morning. You wouldn’t happen to know whose it is?”

Benedict choked on his water, spitting it out onto the table. “EXCUSE ME? PREGNANCY TEST? TATIANA, ARE YOU PREGNANT?”

“No, daddy! It’s not mine! It was my friend’s! She needed to talk and was nervous so I invited her here!”

“Oh,” Benedict coughed. “Very well. You have an irresponsible friend. You shouldn’t hang out with her.”

It took everything not to laugh at Gideon’s face. If she could read his mind right now, she’d bet he would be saying “you lying little bitch.”

“Gideon, do you have everything ready for your college semester in the fall?” Benedict poked at an asparagus on his plate.

Gideon dropped his fork onto his plate. “Can we not talk about this?”

“I just want to make sure that you’re ready to go,”

“I don’t know if I’m going at all,”

“What do you mean? Of course you’re going. You need an education,”

“For what? I don’t even know what I want to do with my life,”

“If you would just stick to the plan-“

“Here we go again, ‘the plan,’” Gideon exclaimed, tossing his napkin onto the table.

“I’m trying to help you!”

“You’re trying to control me!”

“Can you guys please stop?!” Gabriel yelled. “I just wanted to have a nice dinner with my family and my girlfriend but apparently nice isn’t in your vocabulary!”

“Gabriel-“ Benedict cut off abruptly. His eyes widened and his face went pale. He reached up to his chest, clutching it.

“Dad?” Gabriel and Gideon chorused.

“Daddy?”

Benedict leaned back in his chair. His breathing labored and he struggled to get words out.

Gabriel and Tatiana jumped up out of their seat and hurried to their father. Gabriel pulled his seat out and Benedict crumbled to the ground.

“I’m calling an ambulance,” Gideon said, running into the kitchen.

“Daddy?” Tatiana cried, tears already forming.

“Tatiana, back up,” Gabriel ordered. “Dad? Can you hear me? DAD?”

Sophie was frozen in shock. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. Tatiana was now sobbing and slightly shaking. Sophie stood up and walked around the table to where Tatiana stood and carefully pulled her back. Tatiana, thankfully, didn’t protest. Much to Sophie’s surprise, she turned around and buried herself into Sophie’s arms.

Gideon came into the dining room, a phone pressed against his ear. “Please, hurry!”

“Gideon!” Gabriel called out for his brother.

Gideon ran to where his father was on the ground, taking his father’s other side. “It’ll be okay. Dad? I called an ambulance; they’re coming so hang on a little longer,”

Benedict’s breathing calmed and his eyes rested on the ceiling.

Gabriel looked up at Sophie, his eyes wide in fear. She wanted to run over to him and hug him and tell him that everything will be okay. But Tatiana was holding onto her and bawling her eyes out. It took all of her strength to hold her tightly as she shook uncontrollably.

Minutes went by before the ambulance finally arrived but it felt like hours. They loaded Benedict onto a stretcher and rolled him out of the house.

“I’ll ride with them to the hospital, you take Tatiana, okay?” Gideon said, already halfway out the door.

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Gabriel breathed. “Tatiana, go get in the car,”

Tatiana nodded and ran outside.

Gabriel turned to Sophie then, seemingly just realizing she was there. “I’m sorry,”

“You have nothing to apologize for. Go, I’ll stay and clean up,”

“But how will you get home?”

“I’ll wait for you here,” she said, walking to Gabriel. “If you decided to come back tonight then I’ll stay here tonight. I’ll call Charlotte, I’m sure she’ll understand. I’m here, okay?”

“Okay...” Gabriel whispered, tearful. “Sophie….”

“I know, baby,” she said, reaching up and wrapping her arms around him. He wrapped his shaking hands around her waist, holding her tightly. She stroked his hair in hopes of calming him down.

Gabriel squeezed her once before letting go. “I gotta go,”

“Okay,” she nodded, watching him leave.

 

* * *

 

 

It was now almost ten o’clock. Sophie had called Charlotte and told her what happened, and after a very stern talk, she let her stay. Sophie had put away most of the food and did the dishes. She also cleaned the dining room and kitchen, hoping to fill in on some time. She hadn’t heard from Gabriel yet and she was getting worried.

Now, she was lying on Gabriel’s bed waiting for him. She was trying hard to fight sleep. She wanted to be here for when Gabriel came home. If Gabriel came home, she reminded herself. Maybe he decided to stay at the hospital. No, he would’ve told her. But what if his phone died? _Stop overthinking!_

Her eyelids were heavy and drooping. _Maybe I can rest my eyes for a little bit._

Her eyes shot open when she heard footsteps coming. She sat up slowly, not sure if it was one of the Lightwoods or an intruder. Her heart beat faster and faster the closer the footsteps came.

“Sophie? Where are you?” a voice said.

Sophie let out a sigh. _Gabriel._

“In here,” Sophie said.

Gabriel came into the room, his eyes scanning it before falling onto her. “Hey,”

 He looked devastated. His eyes were red, full of unshed tears. His hair was sticking everywhere and his clothes were wrinkled a bit.

He walked over to the bed, lying down next to her.

“What did they say?” she asked.

“He had a heart attack. He’s in surgery right now. They don’t know if he’ll be okay or not until after the surgery. Tatiana’s a mess so I took her home to get some rest. Gideon’s staying at the hospital,”

“I’m sorry,”

Gabriel sniffed, rolling over rest his head on her chest. “I know he’s a hardass but…”

“He’s your dad,” she finished.

“I’m scared, Sophie,” he cried, finally allowing the tears to escape.

“I know,” she whispered.

She held him as he cried, stroking his hair until he fell asleep.


End file.
